The Lower house on Tuesday voted
to cut Italy's parliamentarians from 945 to 600, by 553 votes to
14 with two abstentions.
After its definitive approval, the bill has now become law.
The constitutional reform cuts MPs from 630 to 400 and
Senators from 315 to 200.
Since it was a constitutional bill, the majority of the Lower
House, or 316 votes, was required.
Premier Giuseppe Conte said "this is a historic day for
Italy".
He said the reform "impacts the cost of politics and makes
the workings of the chambers more efficient.
He said "this is a concrete step towards reforming our
institutions."
Foreign Minister Luigi Di maio, leader of the ruling
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), which had made the MP
cut one of its flagship reform pledges, said "this is a very
great victory for citizens".
"This is a historic reform, an extremely great victory for
Italian citizens."
Addressing supporters outside the House, he said "this is
your victory".
Cabinet Secretary Riccardo Fraccaro, also of the M5S, said:
"It's the day we've been awaiting forever".
"With the crossparty yes of the political forces to the
reduction of parliamentarians the M5S makes history in this
country, writing a stupendous page of democracy", said Fraccaro.
"After almost 30 years of broken promises the cut in MPs and
Senators is a reality: a new political season is starting, now
the citizens are at the centre".
Fraccaro guaranteed "the utmost commitment for what will be
to all effects a constituent legislature".
Five members of the M5S did not vote in favour of the cut.
The MP cut is a "historic promise kept", the M5S blog said
ahead of the vote on the reform that would change Italy's
founding constitution.
"We're almost there: soon our constitutional reform bill will
move to the Lower House for the last vote," the party of Foreign
Minister Luigi Di Maio said.
"It's a historic moment for our country: we will soon have
345 MPs fewer and millions of euros to invest in services for
citizens".
The blog said the government alliance, with the centre-left
Democratic Party (PD) and the centrist Italia Viva (IV) party,
"was born principally to immediately achieve two objectives:
reducing the number of Senators and MPs and to avert the VAT
hike that would have cost 600 euros a year for every Italian
family.
"With the definitive OK from the Lower House we will be able
to say that we have maintained the first of these commitments we
made to the Italian people, while the second one will be
achieved with the budget bill".
The vote on the MP cut went smoothly with the opposition
parties voting with the M5S, PD and IV for a long-awaited reform
that will streamline governance and make significant savings in
parliamentary expenditure.
After the final Lower House vote there will be a confirmatory
referendum since the bill makes changes to the Italian
constitution.
The reduction would make the Italian parliament among the
smaller ones in the European Union.
Voting in favour Tuesday were the M5S, the PD and the
populist nationalist opposition parties the League and Brothers
of Italy (FdI), as well as Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right
Forza Italia (FI) party.
There had been rumours of possible defections in the ranks of
the M5S but Labour Minister Nunzia Catalfo said "it will pass
without problems".
Minister for Relations with Parliament Federico D'Incà, also
of the M5S, said "there will have to be an internal reflection
in the M5S unless the reduction in MPs is passed".
Roberto Giachetti of IV said the MP cut was "not the answer"
to Italy's governance problems and called for a referendum on
"superseding perfect bicameralism", a reform that has on several
occasions been urged in the past.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
