The path is beginning to clear for Italians to head back to the polls as the country’s main political parties near a deal on a new electoral law. Italy’s biggest parties are considering a proportional system similar to the German model with a 5 percent cut-off for smaller parties, and lawmakers are due to discuss a first draft of the new law early next month. An agreement would remove any hindrance to snap elections, eliminating the need to wait for scheduled elections in early 2018. “Momentum is building among political leaders and is pushing towards early elections but it will be an uphill battle against the President and parts of the rank-and-file in the parliament,” Giovanni Orsina, a professor of government at Rome’s Luiss-Guido Carli University said in a phone interview.
Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is among those making the case for an early ballot as he seeks a political comeback from the referendum defeat that led him to resign in December.
Renzi told newspaper il Messaggero in an interview published Sunday that a vote in the autumn, around the same time as Germany’s federal election, would reduce market uncertainty, while waiting longer would increase the scrutiny on Italy’s economic and financial woes. He also said his Democratic Party is not pushing for early elections, though it isn’t afraid of them.
Full Article: Italy Moves Toward Early Elections as Voting Rules Deal Nears – Bloomberg.