Meloni's electoral reform collapses in Parliament

The Guardian reported Wednesday that Italy's ruling coalition suffered a surprise parliamentary defeat on electoral reform, a signature policy of the Meloni government. The setback came as MPs voted by secret ballot against a key amendment to the reform package, with coalition members crossing the aisle to reject the measure. The loss marks the second major parliamentary defeat for Meloni's administration this year, according to the Guardian's account, and has triggered opposition demands that she call early elections ahead of next year's scheduled general election.

The secret ballot mechanism—known in Italian political parlance as a vote by 'franchi tiratori,' or free shooters—allowed MPs to defy their party leadership without public accountability. The Guardian reported that Meloni responded with visible frustration to the result, signalling her government's determination to press ahead with the reform despite the setback. The defeat underscores the fragility of her coalition's parliamentary majority and the difficulty of advancing constitutional changes in Italy's bicameral system, where legislation must pass both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.