Italy votes to cut number of MPs and senators by more than a third

Italy's parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to approve slashing the number of lawmakers in new constitutional reforms.

Published: 9 October 2019 09:24 CEST

Italy votes to cut number of MPs and senators by more than a third

Italy's chamber of deputies in September 2019. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

Italy currently has the second-highest number of lawmakers in the EU after Britain – some 630 elected representatives in the lower house and 315 in the Senate.

Cutting the total number of MPs and senators in Italy by 345 – a move dubbed the “taglia poltrone” by Italian media – was a flagship manifesto promise of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, which is now in power as part of a coalition government, after promising voters it would tackle political elitism and wasteful spending.

The move, linked to broader electoral law reforms, was passed by 553 Mps, with just 14 voting against and two abstentions.

“It's done!” the M5S said on its blog. “Promise kept.”

The constitutional reform, which could be subjected to a popular referendum in the coming months, also needs to pass in Italy's upper house.

It cuts the number of MPs to 400 and senators to 200 from the next legislature, with an expected saving of some 100 million euros a year.

Five Star Movement leader and Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio. Photo: AFP

Italy currently has the second-highest number of lawmakers in the EU after Britain – some 630 elected representatives in the lower house and 315 in the Senate

Italy's current left-leaning government also hopes the planned constitutional reforms, which also include changes to electoral law, could help keep the populist right from power.

Critics have warned however that the cut could affect popular representation, and increase the influence of lobbyists over governing institutions – all for a minimal saving that will have little effect on debt-laden Italy's book balance.

Italy currently has one of the highest numbers of lawmakers in the EU – some 630 elected representatives in the lower house and 315 in the Senate.

Italy also has the third-highest number of lawmakers in the world, after China, which has nearly 3,000 members of parliament, and the UK, with a total of 1,443 (793 of which are unelected members of the House of Lords, or upper house).

This was Italy's eighth attempt to cut its number lawmakers since 1983, according to the Open news website.

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The strike comes after Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama — who is close to Meloni — called a top RAI editor to complain about a television report into Italy’s controversial migration deal with his country.

The Usigrai trade union called the strike from May 6 to May 7 saying talks with management had failed to address their concerns.

It cited numerous issues, including staff shortages and contract issues, but in first place was “the suffocating control over journalistic work, with the attempt to reduce RAI to a megaphone for the government”.

It had already used that phrase to object to what critics say is the increasing influence over RAI by figures close to Prime Minister Meloni, who leads Italy’s most right-wing government since World War II.

However, another union of RAI journalists, Unirai, said they would not join what they called a “political” strike, defending the return to “pluralism” at the broadcaster.

Funded in part by a licence fee and with top managers long chosen by politicians, RAI’s independence has always been an issue of debate.

But the arrival in power of Meloni — leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, who formed a coalition with Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party and the late Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing Forza Italia — redoubled concerns.

Tensions erupted at the weekend amid accusations RAI censored a speech by a leading writer criticising Meloni ahead of Liberation Day on April 25, when Italians mark the defeat of Fascism and the Nazis at the end of World War II.

Both RAI’s management and Meloni have denied censorship, and the premier posted the text of the monologue on her social media.

In another twist, Albania’s premier confirmed Thursday he called senior RAI editor Paolo Corsini about an TV report on Sunday into Italy’s plans to build two migration processing centres on Albanian territory.

Rama told La Stampa newspaper the report was “biased” and contained “lies” — adding that he had not raised the issue with Meloni.

The “Report” programme claimed the costs of migrant centres, which are under construction, were already “out of control” and raised questions about criminals benefiting from the project.