The government's Constitutional reform bill completed its second reading in parliament on Tuesday when the Lower House voted to approve it with 357 yeas and 125 nays. This means 148 MPs in the 630-seat House abstained or did not participate in the vote. The bill now returns to the Senate for its third reading.
The bill to overhaul Italy's slow, costly political machinery includes a controversial transformation of the Senate into a leaner assembly of local-government representatives with limited lawmaking powers. Italy will be "simpler and fairer" once the government's Constitutional reform bill is passed and approved by a referendum, Premier Matteo Renzi said after it cleared the House.
"We're moving on," tweeted Reform Minister Maria Elena Boschi.
The bill is the result of the so-called Nazareno Pact that Renzi struck last year with three-time premier Berlusconi. But Berlusconi declared the Nazareno Pact dead after a dispute with Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (PD) over Sergio Mattarella's election as president in January.
As a result FI MPs voted against the same bill that the opposition centre-right party helped make it through the Senate in its first reading last year.
The decision, however, split FI, with a group of 17 centre-right lawmakers signing a document critical of this line, while stressing they would respect it.
The bill is also opposed by a minority within Renzi's own PD, including former party leader Pier Luigi Bersani. The key test for Renzi over this bill is likely to be in the Senate, where the government's majority is far more slender than in the House.
As the bill seeks to change Italy's Constitution, it needs to go through two readings in both houses of parliament. It is then subject to a referendum unless it garners a two-thirds majority in each vote.
"It is truly painful to be here today," Danilo Toninelli from the anti-establishment, anti-euro 5-Star Movement (M5S) said before voting began, adding the bill was an "attempt to ruin the Constitution, imposed with Fascist methods".
FI House whip Renato Brunetta called internal dissent "unjustifiable" and said his party's nay vote was one cast "in freedom".
"Welcome to the opposition," tweeted FI dissident and erstwhile Bersluconi confidant Raffaele Fitto.
"Now the key is not to go back to messing around once (May) regional elections are over," he added.
"Faster lawmaking and fewer MPs. We did what we always said we would," tweeted Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, whose small New Center Right (NCD) party is a splinter from Berlusconi's now-defunct People of Freedom party.
Bersani, used Renzi's victory without most of Berlusconi's forces as leverage to press for changes to the government's electoral reform bill, or Italicum.
"The Nazareno Pact no longer exists," said Bersani, meaning that Renzi owes Berlusconi nothing and therefore the government should change its proposed electoral reform without having to negotiate any points with the media mogul and ex premier.
"Either we make reasonable changes to the Italicum or I won't vote for it or indeed any other reforms," said the former PD chief.
The way things are now "creates an unsustainable situation for democracy".
Also on Tuesday, a group of 24 PD members led by Gianni Cuperlo signed on to a written statement that "we reserve the right to uphold our autonomy" should the government refuse to discuss making changes to planned reforms.
Further to the left, Puglia governor and Left Ecology Freedom (SEL) party chief Nichi Vendola said "this so-called reform grants more power to those who already have it while relegating citizens to a role as extras on the scene of public life".
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