In Rome, on Tuesday, 109 MPs voted in favor of constitutional reform while 77 voted against it. This marks the first step in the process of direct election of the Prime Minister in Italy. The government parties cheered the vote while opposition protested symbolically by holding up the constitution.
The bill proposes that the Prime Minister will no longer be appointed by the President but directly elected by the people for a five-year term. Additionally, a majority bonus of 55 percent will be introduced for the most voted party, ensuring a comfortable majority in both chambers. The bill has passed the Senate and will now head to the Chamber of Deputies for a vote, however it did not receive the two-thirds majority required to avoid a referendum in the Senate and is unlikely to receive one in
