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Italy’s Senate Approves Meloni-Backed Electoral Reform Amid Opposition Fury

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Italy’s Senate approved a controversial electoral reform on Tuesday, backed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s conservative coalition, despite strong opposition criticism. The proposed system would use fully proportional representation while granting a parliamentary majority to any alliance that wins more than 42% of the vote. The measure passed by 113 votes to 71 but still requires final approval from the lower house.

Meloni’s coalition says the reform would bring greater political stability to Italy, which has experienced frequent changes of government. Opposition leaders, however, accuse Meloni of changing the electoral rules to strengthen her chances in next year’s election. Under the current system, around one-third of lawmakers are elected through first-past-the-post constituencies, which analysts say could benefit centre-left parties.

The reform must now return to the Chamber of Deputies after amendments made in the Senate. The debate comes as tensions grow within both the governing coalition and the opposition. A previous attempt to restore preferential voting was narrowly rejected in the lower house, exposing divisions within Meloni’s alliance as the country approaches its next national election.

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Emma Bonino, Italian Politician and Abortion Rights Pioneer, Dies at 78

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Emma Bonino, the veteran Italian politician and prominent campaigner for abortion rights and civil liberties, died on Friday at the age of 78, her spokesperson said. Her political journey began in the 1970s, when she publicly challenged Italy’s then-illegal abortion laws after undergoing a clandestine procedure and later turning herself in to police.

Bonino went on to become a leading figure in Italy’s Radical Party and served in both the Italian and European parliaments. She held senior government positions, including foreign minister and European affairs minister, and served as a European Commissioner. Throughout her five-decade career, she campaigned on issues including gender equality, migrant rights, female genital mutilation, pension equality and European integration.

Known for her outspoken style and willingness to challenge established norms, Bonino remained active in politics well into her 70s. She survived lung cancer and continued her public work despite health challenges. In 2024, Pope Francis made an unusual visit to her home following a serious health scare, highlighting the respect she commanded despite their differences over abortion.

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Meloni Nears Italy’s Stability Record, But 2027 Election Could Disrupt It

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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to lead Italy’s longest-lasting government since World War Two, surpassing a record previously held by Silvio Berlusconi. Her government has benefited from political stability and improved investor confidence, particularly through tighter control of Italy’s public finances.

However, analysts warn that the stability may not last beyond the 2027 parliamentary elections. While Meloni’s government has strengthened employment and reduced irregular migration, critics say it has made limited progress on deeper reforms to public administration, healthcare and education. A failed judicial reform referendum and strained relations with U.S. President Donald Trump have also weakened her political standing.

The rise of a new far-right party led by former general Roberto Vannacci is adding further uncertainty. Recent polling suggests Meloni’s conservative coalition could struggle to reach the 42% threshold linked to proposed electoral reforms, while Vannacci’s support has risen to around 8%. Analysts say Italy could once again face a fragmented parliament and unstable coalition politics after the election.

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Far-Right General Roberto Vannacci Launches Party, Challenging Italian PM Meloni

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Former general Roberto Vannacci has created a significant political headache for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with the rapid rise of his new far-right party, Futuro Nazionale. Launched just four months after Vannacci broke away from Meloni’s coalition ally, the League party, the movement has already attracted nearly 100,000 paying members and is polling at 4.6%. Accusing Meloni’s government of becoming a “fearful right” that has softened on Brussels, crime, and immigration, Vannacci’s rapid ascent presents Meloni with a difficult dilemma ahead of next year’s tight election: alliance with a radical element or risking a fractured right-wing vote.

Vannacci, a 57-year-old former paratrooper and ex-defence attaché to Russia, initially shot to prominence by publishing a controversial book disparaging LGBTQ+ individuals, migrants, and feminists. Though suspended from active military service for bringing the army into disrepute, he was embraced by League leader Matteo Salvini, using that momentum to win a seat in the European Parliament in 2024. Now running his own anti-EU, pro-Russia movement, Vannacci is successfully siphoning support away from Salvini’s League, forcing mainstream right-wing leaders to consider adopting more radical stances to prevent being completely outmanoeuvred.

While no ruling coalition parties have officially proposed an alliance, Vannacci’s rise threatens to undermine Meloni’s efforts to recast her Brothers of Italy party as a mainstream, credible conservative force in Brussels and Washington. Futuro Nazionale has already poached eight lawmakers from government ranks and explicitly opposes unconditional financial and military aid to Ukraine. Mainstream coalition partners, such as Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani’s Forza Italia, remain deeply uncomfortable with Vannacci’s radical alignment with groups like Germany’s AfD, yet the rising poll numbers may eventually force a compromise to keep the centre-left out of power.

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Giorgia Meloni Opens Up as Italy Votes in EU Elections

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Italians have begun voting on the third of four days of European elections taking place across 27 EU nations. Although these votes are for the next European Parliament, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hopes the outcome will strengthen her position in Italian politics. She has even encouraged voters to “just write Giorgia” on their ballots.

Most EU countries are voting on Sunday after several weeks of turmoil during which two European leaders and other politicians were physically attacked. On Friday evening, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was assaulted in the street in Copenhagen ahead of Sunday’s Danish vote. She sustained minor whiplash, according to her office, and a suspect has been detained.

European leaders have expressed their shock at the latest attack amid elections involving around 373 million European voters. Last month, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico survived an assassination attempt and was only recently discharged from the hospital. Several German politicians have also been targeted.

While these elections are intended to be separate from national politics, the reality is often different, especially in Italy. Meloni, who leads the far-right Brothers of Italy (FdI), was appointed prime minister in 2022. She has taken the unusual step of putting her name at the top of her party’s ballot, despite having no plans to take a seat in the European Parliament.

Since becoming prime minister in 2022, Meloni has enjoyed steady poll ratings, helped by a fragmented centrist and left-wing opposition and the decline of her junior coalition partner, Matteo Salvini’s League party. To counter this trend, Salvini has shifted his party’s rhetoric further to the right. The League’s election posters, which criticize EU-backed initiatives like electric cars and tethered caps on plastic bottles, have drawn both ridicule and attention.

Salvini’s lead candidate, Roberto Vannacci, has also drawn attention. The army general, dismissed after self-publishing a book with homophobic and racist views, has doubled down on these views since becoming a League candidate. His messages are frequently amplified by the media, which could translate into votes for the League. If not, Salvini’s leadership could be in jeopardy.

Similarly, the left-wing Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein must match the 19% vote share from the 2019 elections to maintain her position. Further to the left, Ilaria Salis, a self-described antifascist activist detained in Hungary since 2023, is running on the Left/Greens platform.

These European elections hold significant importance. While the Netherlands voted on Thursday, with exit polls suggesting a tight race between a left-green alliance and Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party, other countries like Ireland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, and Malta are voting across the weekend. Germany is voting on Sunday, with the center-right CDU/CSU expected to surpass Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party is competing for second place with the Socialist party, trailing Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN). Macron, warning of the threat to Europe from the surge of the right, has called for a high turnout. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, recovering from surgery after an assassination attempt, has recently criticized Slovakia’s liberal opposition. Hungary’s Viktor Orban, opposing EU support for Ukraine, warned that Europe is nearing a point of no return in preventing conflict from spreading beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Italy’s polls will be the last to close at 23:00 (21:00 GMT) on Sunday, with initial projections combining provisional results and estimates expected shortly after.

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Italian Culture Minister Vittorio Sgarbi resigns amid stolen painting allegations

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Italian junior culture minister Vittorio Sgarbi has resigned amidst accusations of laundering stolen goods, which he vehemently denies. The allegations center around the theft and alteration of a 17th-Century painting titled “The Capture of Saint Peter” by Rutilio Manetti, a follower of the Baroque master Caravaggio.

Sgarbi is specifically accused of modifying the stolen painting by adding a candle to the top corner, purportedly to obscure its provenance. He claims to have discovered the original artwork while restoring a villa owned by his mother more than two decades ago. According to Sgarbi, the stolen painting in 2013 was a mere copy, and the one he possesses is the authentic piece.

The controversy came to light through an investigation by the Italian TV broadcaster Rai, particularly the program Report. The stolen painting was reported missing from a castle in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, with the canvas cut out of its frame in 2013. Suspicion arose when a friend of Sgarbi, who had visited the property, expressed interest in purchasing the artwork. Additionally, the program reported that another acquaintance of the politician transferred a damaged version of “The Capture of Saint Peter” to a restorer, bearing a hole identical to the missing piece cut out in 2013. When Sgarbi exhibited the restored painting in 2021, it featured the added candle in the top corner.

In addition to the accusations related to “The Capture of Saint Peter,” Sgarbi faces legal scrutiny over another artwork—a painting attributed to the French artist Valentin de Boulogne, valued at €5m (£4.3m). This piece was seized by police in Montecarlo, and Sgarbi is being investigated for its alleged illegal export. He maintains that the seized painting is a copy and does not belong to him. Sgarbi’s resignation is framed as an effort to avoid a conflict of interest amid the ongoing investigations surrounding these art-related controversies.

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Italian culture minister probed over stolen painting

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Italian Junior Culture Minister Vittorio Sgarbi is facing accusations of possessing and displaying a stolen 17th-century painting, “The Capture of Saint Peter,” which was reported stolen in 2013. Sgarbi, a well-known art critic and TV personality, is under investigation for laundering stolen goods as he included the painting in a 2021 exhibition. The artwork, by Rutilio Manetti, a follower of Caravaggio, used to be in a castle in Piedmont. Sgarbi is also accused of altering the painting by adding a candle to conceal its origin. He claims to have found the original while restoring a villa owned by his mother over 20 years ago, asserting that the stolen painting was a copy.

The allegations emerged in an investigation by Italian TV broadcaster Rai’s program ‘Report.’ The owner of the castle reported the theft, stating that the canvas was cut from the frame in 2013. It was revealed that a friend of Sgarbi had shown interest in buying the work before the theft. Another friend allegedly sent a damaged painting of “The Capture of Saint Peter” to a restorer, matching the cut piece from the stolen canvas. When displayed by Sgarbi in 2021, the painting had the added candle.

Sgarbi is also facing accusations related to another seized painting attributed to Valentin de Boulogne, valued at €5m (£4.3m), with investigations for illegal export. Sgarbi claims it’s a copy and not his property. Opposition parties are calling for his dismissal, and the Five Star Movement plans to present a motion in parliament. This comes as the second embarrassment for the Italian government this year, following an MP being investigated for taking a handgun to a New Year’s Eve party. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suspended the MP. As the European elections approach, political tensions may rise, and scandals could impact Italian politics.

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