The President of the Republic called Parliament to its responsibilities on the electoral law in a "strong, direct and clear manner" way. Yesterday Sergio Mattarella convened the presidents of the Chamber and Senate for lunch, to then disseminate a note of an institutional nature but with a strong political value.
“The Head of State underlined the need for Parliament to speedily fulfill two important institutional fulfilments – reads the note – the new electoral legislation for the Senate and for the Chamber and the election of a judge of the Constitutional Court. The President of the Republic has asked the Presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies to explain to their respective parliamentary groups the urgency of both questions for the functioning of our institutional system”.
An elegant formula to let people know that it would be more appropriate and desirable for early elections to possibly take place only after a reform of the voting system. But not only. Because for some time now many people at the Colle have not hidden their concern that after the summer the possibility of an agreement between the political forces could become even more problematic. And the natural expiry of the legislature is in any case very close: in fact, already at Christmas, after a Budget law that promises to be very tough, a long electoral campaign would in any case begin.
It is therefore irresponsible to leave the country with two such different systems and with high risks of being unconstitutional. In addition, Mattarella, in his note, planted another stake, also with a very political slant: the election of the missing judge of the Constitutional Court. This is the replacement of Giuseppe Frigo, in Forza Italia share. And many in Parliament already think it could be useful for bringing Berlusconi's positions on the electoral law closer together. The peremptory exit of the president immediately produced an effect with the group leader of the Chamber who gave birth to a date: next May 29 in the classroom. It is certainly not an acceleration – from today, more than a month – but it is already a result.
It is clear that the ball returns entirely to the Democratic Party which - especially if Renzi tries to push the accelerator on the vote after the summer - will have to unravel the skein and find a downward agreement. The Quirinal line on early voting has not changed. The natural end of the legislature is better, but there will be no therapeutic obstinacy. Early elections are not a taboo and indeed, "in particular cases" they are the "highway" even if it is "a very serious choice", said the head of state in his year-end message. But first, clear rules are needed "so that voters can express their will effectively". And today, after months, these rules don't exist. Without homogeneous electoral laws for the House and the Senate, the "risk of ungovernability" remains too high.
In short, the reading of Colle's warning is open. Certainly the strength of the call is proportionate to the wait: Sergio Mattarella has been waiting for something concrete for four months and still today there is nothing on the plate. No more "postponements", agrees the president of the Chamber Laura Boldrini after the meeting with Mattarella. “I fully shared the request that the President wanted to address to Parliament today, through President Grasso and myself, so that a new electoral law can be rapidly arrived at. I asked the group presidents that the deadline” set by the group leader not be postponed further. It is a question of respecting the expectations of public opinion and the very role of the parliamentary institution ”, she said in a statement.
