Italy To Increase Push On Electoral Reform Ahead 2018 Vote

--Risk Of Uncertain Govt Outcome Hitting Recovery Pushing Party Talks

By Silvia Marchetti

     ROME (MNI) - With only five working months remaining to pass crucial

electoral reform ahead of next year's general election, time is running out to

avoid an outcome of electoral uncertainty that could jeopardize the country's

nascent recovery and reform path. 

     However, with the stalemate increasing the risk of political instability,

the main parties remain open to dialogue. 

     As parliament prepares to shut down for the summer recess, several party

deputies told Market News that they were willing to work together in a spirit of

cooperation in order to change existing electoral rules by reaching a

compromise. 

     An upcoming meeting between Italy's leading political parties is the first

priority now, despite recent clashes. 

     "We will do our best to dialogue with all parties to define an efficient

electoral law that may guarantee the creation of a stable government, and we

believe the best option is to have a German-style proportional system with a 5%

entry threshold for parties,"  said Emanuele Fiano, Democrat Lower House deputy

in charge of Reforms. 

     Fiano argued that it was crucial to reach a wide-ranging agreement that

included the highest number of parties sitting in parliament, and said he was

confident that former premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia group held

similar views.

     Head of State Sergio Mattarella recently reiterated calls to political

forces to define a harmonized, unique electoral law for both the lower house and

the Senate that would boost chances of having stronger, more stable government.

Currently, the two branches of parliament are elected through different

electoral systems and this incongruence has been the cause of Italy's many

wobbly, short-lived governments.  

     Mattarella has been calling for a speedy solution ever since former premier

Matteo Renzi resigned from office in December after losing a referendum on

electoral reform. He has again ruled out the chance of early elections, arguing

that parliament needed the whole remaining legislature to pass new electoral

laws. Last week, the head of state reiterated that general elections will take

place at the "natural" end of this 5-year term, in March/April 2018.  

     In June  parties failed to reach a compromise over a joint electoral reform

text, but now most agree with Mattarella's urgency to make it a top priority. 

     According to Maurizio Gasparri, Forza Italia's Lower House party leader, it

is crucial that party talks focus on defining a "clear electoral law able to

guarantee stability and clearly identify who the winner is through a majority

prize given to the successful coalition to boost its capacity to rule". 

     If parliament fails to approve new electoral laws in time for the next

vote, then the government would have to step-in with an emergency decree which

would be seen as less "legitimate" than a parliamentary law, a government source

pointed-out. 

     "We all know that Mattarella wants parliament to do the job, and not the

government, as it would be seen as a mere political, unilateral move without the

necessary support of all parties," said the source.

     But if not even a cabinet decree is passed, and electoral rules remain

unchanged, there is a high chance Italy's next government will be another lame

"hybrid" with no stable majority unable to pursue reforms. 

     Such an outcome would trigger political mayhem, pushing the Democrats to

find allies among center-right parties with the risk that Renzi, if victorious,

would have to ally with Berlusconi just like his predecessor Enrico Letta did

back in 2013. The Berlusconi-Letta government came to an abrupt end when

Berlusconi pulled out of it just seven months later. 

     Straight after the summer break, electoral reform will be the first law to

be discussed at the Lower House institutional affairs committee, scheduled for

September 6, said a source. Until then, underground unofficial talks among

parties will continue. 

     A total of roughly 22 different reform proposals have been presented in

parliament, which need to be discussed and "shrunk" into one shared text. 

     The Lower House currently has a 3% party entry threshold and a majority

prize for the party that wins 40% of votes, while for the Senate the threshold

is 8% and there is no majority prize at all. 

     In the Lower House, coalitions are banned while in the Senate parties are

encouraged to ally to get in. 

     The populist Northern League, a possible ally of Berlusconi, also aims for

the overall majority and is open to dialogue with other groups. 

     "We are available to talk and discuss the issue with all parties, as long

as it's not an excuse to postpone an early election," said Lower House party

leader Massimiliano Fedriga. 

     Fedriga argued that if speedy changes aren't made straight away, then it

would be best to vote before March, even with the current messy electoral law,

rather than linger on with sterile debates. 

     "Last time the Democrats failed in pushing through the electoral reform,

simply because they don't have the numbers in parliament to support them," he

pointed-out. 

     The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement is also sceptical that the Democrats

will succeed in reaching a new deal with all parties. In a recent interview with

local media, their Lower House leader Luigi di Maio said Renzi had lost

credibility following the rising number of dissident Democrats questioning his

leadership. 

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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