Italy's 1953 'Legge Truffa' Cited as Precedent for Meloni Electoral Reform

Italy's right-wing coalition, led by Giorgia Meloni, is advancing an electoral law reform intended to secure its re-election next year. Critics point to a historical precedent: Law No. 148 of 31 March 1953. The motives behind the current changes resemble those of the early Italian Republic — again framed around 'political stability' through clear majorities, and again seeking to grant the leading coalition a 'premium' that guarantees a majority of seats. Opponents of the 1953 reform called it simply a 'legge truffa' (fraud law). That earlier centre-right government sought two-thirds of the mandates with just over 50 percent of the vote. The current coalition pursues a comparable advantage. The piece appears in the current issue of Der Freitag, written by Jens Renner.