Italy’s government has sufficient backing in Parliament to force through its contested reform of the Senate, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said yesterday, dismissing suggestions he might have to seek early elections.
The reform, which would turn Italy’s second chamber into a non-elected assembly with only a limited say on legislation, is due to be debated in the Senate next month, where the Opposition has lined up more than 500,000 amendments.
A vocal minority within Renzi’s own Democratic Party (PD) have also raised objections, leading some politicians to predict that the legislation will fail, prompting a return to the polls more than two years ahead of schedule.
Asked if this was a possibility, Renzi told Corriere della Sera newspaper: “I don’t see any risk.”
The Prime Minister has said in the past that the fate of his coalition government is linked to the reform, arguing it will make Italian politics more efficient by eliminating the need for all laws to be approved by both houses of Parliament. The difficulty of maintaining viable majorities in the two chambers has helped perpetuate political instability in Italy.
If we want to force through the text, then we have the numbers
Opponents say the reform, which has already passed the lower house, will end up placing too much power in the hands of the Prime Minister. Critics within the PD say senators should at least be elected to boost the chamber’s democratic credentials.
“If we want to force through the text that has come from the lower house, then we have the numbers, as we always have had,” said Renzi. “But right up to the end, as we have always done, we will try to reach an agreement with opponents.”
Renzi has a majority of just six in the 320-seat Senate, leaving him vulnerable to any revolt. He took office 18 months ago and has tackled labour market, education and public administration reforms, among other areas. Although the economy has finally pulled out of a three-year recession, the reform drive has yet to bear obvious fruit, underlining how hard it is to shake up Italy.