Chamber of Deputies holds secret ballot on electoral reform
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Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni faces a decisive test today as the Chamber of Deputies votes by secret ballot on a new electoral law. While Meloni says she is calm, the government is reportedly preparing an alternative plan in case the Constitutional Court halts the reform in February. The text increases signature requirements and reintroduces candidate preferences, a move that has left several center-right MPs worried about the safety of their own seats.
The government has moved to freeze excise taxes on fuel to blunt the impact of rising prices at the pump. It is a costly decision for the treasury, arriving just as students and workers in major cities report that a single bed in a shared room now commands a rent of 500 euros. Elsewhere, the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has confirmed it will lay off 330 employees at its plant in Catania.
The appeals court has upheld convictions for the 2021 assault on the CGIL trade union headquarters by far-right leaders. In a separate development, there are doubts over whether the mafia figure Graviano will continue to cooperate with authorities. The country also marked a quiet anniversary of the Linate airport disaster, 25 years after the runway collision that killed 118 people.