Italian Premier Matteo Renzi said
Friday his 'Italicum' electoral reform "is not up for
discussion".
"It will give the election winner the certainty of being
able to govern," he told a concluding press conference after the
42nd Group of Seven (G7) summit of leading industrialized
nations in Japan.
"It is a very simple law, which says the winner gets to
govern - which is key in the relationship between elected
officials and the people. It also eliminates the risk of
permanent back-room deals".
He added there is no connection between the Italicum
election law, which the government passed last year, and an
October referendum on his constitutional reform law, which was
passed this year and which would, among other measures, scrap
the Senate's equal status to the Lower House and thereby put an
end to decades of political gridlock.
New laws amending the Constitution must be approved by
popular referendum.
Renzi has staked his political future on its outcome,
repeatedly stating he will step down if voters nix his reform.
Also on Friday, the premier added a jab at internal
leftwing dissenters within his own center-left Democratic Party
(PD), calling their objections to his election law small-minded
compared to what should be "the real debate in the left
worldwide (on) freedom and equality".
On Wednesday, former PD chief Pier Luigi Bersani - who
leads a dissenting internal minority - called on Renzi to revise
the Italicum to foster party unity is view of the October
referendum.
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