No electoral system It's perfect because there's no mechanism capable of optimally balancing the maximum representation of citizens' will, the foundation of democracy, with maximum governability—that is, the need to manage public affairs for a time adequate to implement the policies indicated by the majority. Each system arises in relation to the political and cultural context that expresses it and generally lasts for several years, even if it often shows the flaws of its advanced age. Only in Italy in recent decades has a system changed every seven or eight years, both to address the flaws of the previous system, but above all because those in government sought a mechanism that would ensure their stability. permanence in powerThis last objective has never been achieved: in general the promoters of the change of the electoral law they then sensationally lost at the polls.
The reform proposed by the Meloni government and doubts about the new model
We are now faced with a new proposal put forward by the Meloni government to replace the Rosatellum in force today, in order to ensure through a robust majority premium The coalition capable of exceeding 42% of the vote will have the parliamentary votes to ensure government stability for the entire legislature. The proposal does not appear to be well-articulated: it presents significant defects both technical and constitutional. The controversy has flared up over preferences, which are only one aspect of the problem, and perhaps not even the most important. Now a comprehensive study promoted by the foundation Astrid, chaired by Franco Bassanini, in which over thirty scholars of legal and political disciplines participated, coordinated by Enzo Cheli, Stefano Steps e Caesar Pinelli, highlights the critical points of the Government's proposal and clearly indicates the possible alternative which would be more convenient for giving rise to a policy capable of leading the country out of the doldrums in which it finds itself.
The failure of the majoritarian system: more rotation, but little stability
We start from the observation that the systems majority, at least in Italy, as well as the majority prizes, often have the effect of creating artificial parliamentary majorities, which lack both representativeness and, above all, political cohesion, thus giving rise to weak governments incapable of making effective decisions. And this is precisely what happened in Italy after the introduction of the first-past-the-post system. Often, coalitions of both the right and the left, formed to win elections, have subsequently shown such divergences that they have brought down governments or, at best, paralyzed their action. The result of these three decades has been an overall decline in the country compared to its trading partners. One need only look at the latest study released by the Parliamentary Budget Office, which demonstrates how Italy is the only country where incomes over the last thirty years they have fallen by an average of 1,6% While the rest of Europe is fluctuating between a 48% increase in the United Kingdom and a 13% increase in Spain. No one has done as badly as we have. And it's not just a question of international crises, because everyone has had the subprime crisis and the Covid crisis.
From the end of the First Republic to the alternation without true governability
Thirty years ago, after the collapse of the DC and the elimination of the K factor for the PCI, we thought that the time had come to introduce the possibility of an effective alternation to lead the country. The two coalitions, one liberal-conservative and one liberal-progressive, would have ensured – it was hoped – a stable government and an orderly alternation at the helm of the country. The alternation did take place, but the stability No. Indeed, governments have always appeared to be at the mercy of their extremist wings, ultimately responsible for their downfall. Berlusconi was tripped up by the League twice in 1994 and 2011, because Bossi refused to approve public finances recovery policies that would have allowed a recovery in growth. Overall, the Alloy It is the party that did serious damage to Italy, followed, and then overtaken, a few years later by 5 Stars. On the left, Prodi was brought down first by Bertinotti and then by the contradictions of such a crowded coalition where the smallest party had veto power.
In essence, the two coalitions, instead of moving towards the centre, have been increasingly hostage of their extreme wings as is now the case for Meloni, who is heavily influenced by Salvini's League within it and by General. Vannacci On the left, the reformists of the Democratic Party have disappeared, while the Five Star Movement led by Conte and Avs dominate.
Europe, foreign policy and security: the crux of internal contradictions
If we consider that one of the crucial problems of the next few years will be the foreign policy, relations with Europe, and the need to play an active role in reforming the rules of the global economic game, one might wonder what kind of governability can be ensured by two coalitions that harbor irreconcilable differences in foreign policy. On the one hand, Salvini and Vannacci are blatantly pro-Russian and anti-European, while on the other, the Five Star Movement is against so-called rearmament and in favor of negotiations with the Russians to reach any peace at the expense of the Ukrainians. And so are Fratoianni and Bonelli. And then let's not even talk about Political Economics, of your digital ecosystem. or reforms of the functioning of the State and its local branches. Incidentally, let us remember, the Northern League minister Calderoli he was at one time the promoter of an electoral law that he himself called "Porcellum"It was so wrong. And now we're entrusting a character like this with a reform of the Regions, compared to which the Porcellum will seem like a minor hiccup!
Prime Ministership and Preferences: All the Doubts About the Reform
The electoral law proposed by Meloni will not be saved even with the introduction of a amendment on preferencesThere are aspects of unconstitutionality regarding the level of the majority bonus, the de facto premiership that undermines the prerogatives of the President of the Republic, and other significant details. Now there seems to be an agreement within the majority to introduce preferences (but with the top candidate blocked), but that doesn't mean the passage to the Chamber of Deputies can't be an opportunity to change its approach. And in fact, the proposal formulated by Astrid is based on a correct proportional from significant exclusion thresholdsIn this way, we can aim to revitalize the parties and institutions that today appear delegitimized by citizens who, in fact, do not vote. Even from the standpoint of governability, we must move beyond the effective but fallacious slogan that aims to secure a result on election night. This slogan has not stood the test of political power, while a lasting and effective government would only be possible on the basis of a political consensus which is formed in Parliament between forces that have had a good popular investiture and which deal with detailed government programs as happens in Germany and other countries.
The Astrid proposal: a fair proportional system to rebuild the political system
In Italy one proportional corrected with 5% threshold, preferential voting without deception, or with small colleges, would allow the revitalization of political forces currently marginalized by the so-called useful vote, such as the Center (which shouldn't be called that because it is actually liberal and truly reformist forces), so as to achieve the "clipping of wings," that is, the dissolution of forced coalitions that hamper government policy until the inevitable divergences between highly disparate parties explode. But on closer inspection, such a system would also be convenient for the major parties. Meloni and Schlein They could run freely without the burden of heterogeneous parties, that is, without the effort of balancing the centrist, pro-European leg with the anti-European extremes. Whoever gets the most votes will have the opportunity to be tasked with forming a coalition government by the President of the Republic and thus be able to spin their own web in Parliament.
After so many years of furious gang warfare, the degradation of our institutions and our economy is profound. A clear electoral system could bring citizens closer to serious politics, leading to a gradual abandonment of the inconclusive (and indeed harmful) demagoguery that has dominated in recent decades. It would be a first step. Then we will need to address the functioning of Parliament, To relations with the Regionsie in economics to bonus reduction Conceived as electoral bribes to introduce serious merit assessments across all sectors of public and private sector employment to which careers and salaries can be tied. It's a vast program, but we have to start somewhere!
