‘The mother of all reforms’: Meloni’s plans to rewrite Italy’s post-fascist constitution

• Published date: 15 April 2024
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

The assembled entrepreneurs and executives – supporters of a fledgling civil society movement called Io Cambio, or I Change – lamented the heavy toll that chronic political instability had taken on contemporary Italy’s prospects and international credibility

In their formal discussions, and over sparkling wine, cheese and olives on the rooftop afterwards, they diagnosed what they see as the problem: Italy’s constitution, written after the second World War and the fall of Benito Mussolini’s fascist dictatorship, was no longer fit for purpose. An overhaul was needed if Italy is to deliver stronger governments capable of tackling the country’s economic and social woes, they said.

“We hope for a reform of our institutions – that is, a new form of government,” Io Cambio’s co-founder, Nicola Drago, the fourth-generation scion of an industrial dynasty, told participants. “The most important thing is that there are stable and effective governments that can do their job.”

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is also focused these days on how Italy’s postwar political system – notorious for its succession of short-lived ruling coalitions and intense palace intrigue – is failing, in her view, to deliver for its citizens.

Now, in what is likely to be one of the biggest battles of her political career, Meloni has unveiled plans for a contentious constitutional overhaul that she calls “the mother of all reforms”, one she claims will deliver political stability. To pull it off, she will need the support of influential citizens such as the supporters of Io Cambio to overcome what is likely to be fierce resistance to her plans.

At the heart of Meloni’s proposal is giving Italian voters the ability to directly elect prime ministers for five-year terms, ostensibly reducing the office’s vulnerability to the type of parliamentary scheming, rebellions and desertions behind the premature demise of numerous past governments.

Meloni contends that establishing the “premierato” – the elected prime minister – would end the revolving door at Palazzo Chigi, their official residence in Italy, which has had 68 governments, most lasting an average of just over a year, since 1946.

Longer, more secure tenures, she says, will give future leaders both the clout and time to tackle Italy’s big policy challenges, from its heavy debt burden and chronically sluggish economic growth to a deepening demographic crisis.

“We want to take advantage of the stability of this government to give Italians a reform...