Italy approves elections overhaul as opposition accuse Meloni of 'scam'

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says the move will deliver more stable government, but opposition parties say her aim is to stay in power. Opposition parties say the move is designed to keep Meloni's right-wing coalition in power Italy's parliament has approved fiercely contested changes to the country's electoral system championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ahead of elections due next year. Lawmakers voted 227 to 164 in favour of moving to a fully proportional system, which Meloni has argued will boost the chance of clear winners and more stable government. Opposition parties say her right-wing coalition has designed the proposals to improve its chance of retaining power and, in a heated debate on Thursday, accused it of pushing through the "fraudulent" reform to flout democracy.

Meloni had warned she could resign and trigger an early election if the plans were rejected, with the secret ballot seen as a test of her authority. Meloni's coalition has overseen a rare period of political stability for Italy since her election in 2022, and last month her government became the country's longest-running since World War Two. The voting reform will see the country move away from its current hybrid voting system, in which about a third of members are chosen through a first-past-the-post vote and the rest through proportional representation. Parties proposing to form