The Lower House in a secret vote Monday approved the government's Italicum electoral reform bill with 334 votes in favor, 61 against and four abstaining.
Monday's vote was greeted with a few seconds of applause from the ranks of the ruling Democratic Party (PD). "Commitment kept, promise fulfilled," Premier Matteo Renzi tweeted after his hotly contested bill cleared its final parliamentary hurdle before becoming law. The premier said last week he was willing to stake his very government on the Italicum, and that he would "go home" if it didn't pass.
"Italy needs those who aren't naysayers. Onwards, with humility and courage". "Mission accomplished. The government has maintained its commitment. We promised and we delivered," Reform Minister Maria Elena Boschi told journalists. Renzi, who is also chief of the PD,has said that the Italicum will bring political stability, because it will produce a clear winner with enough of a majority to make it through a five-year legislature.
The leader of a junior governing coalition member, the New Center Right (NCD) party, agreed.
"We have approved a good law that provides stability and also representation," said Interior Minister Angelino Alfano.
The bill won final approval after passing three confidence votes last week in a turbulent process that saw many internal dissenters from within Renzi's own party threatening to walk out.
"Dissent was quite broad," said Pier Luigi Bersani, Renzi's predecessor as PD chief and a staunch opponent of some aspects of the Italicum. "What's done is done, but the political fact both on the approval of the law and the size of the dissent is not insignificant". The vote took place after opposition lawmakers from the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI) party, the Left Ecology Freedom (SEL) party, the anti-immigrant, anti-euro Northern League and the rightwing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party quit the chamber. Renzi originally negotiated the Italicum with Berlusconi as part of a broader move that includes reforms to the Senate to reduce its powers, a fact which has produced discomfort among lawmakers in both parties.
However, Berlusconi pulled out of the deal early this year after Renzi nominated Sergio Mattarella as Italian president over the FI chief's objections.
The new election system awards bonus seats to the party winning 40% of the vote - or a run-off vote in case no one party reaches that threshold - to ensure it has a working majority in parliament.
The dissenting PD minority has argued the Italicum as it stands will tip the balance of power away from parliament and in favor of the executive.
The opposition has tried to halt or amend the bill because, unlike Renzi's PD, no other party is likely to win 40% of the vote on its own.
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