Meloni pushes change to let voters directly elect Italy's premier in bid to make governments last

abcnews.go.com:

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni's Cabinet has approved her proposal to make the prime minister's office directly elected by voters in a bid to make Italy's governments more stable and lasting

ROME — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s Cabinet on Friday approved her proposal to make the office of the prime minister directly elected by voters in a bid to end the country's chronic ailment of short-lived, unstable governments.

Changing Italy's Constitution would allow voters to elect a premier who would serve five years — to coincide with Parliament’s full term.

The far-right leader insisted at a news conference that what she called the “mother of all reforms” will guarantee more stability in a nation where government coalitions sometimes last only months, even weeks.

But there’s no guarantee the reform will become reality.

It's likely voters would have the final say. A referendum would take place if two-thirds of lawmakers fail to approve the reform.

Although Meloni's government, with the help of its right-wing coalition partners, commands a comfortable parliamentary majority, it would need opposition forces to reach the two-thirds margin. Italy's major left-leaning and populist parties don't back her proposal.

Meloni told reporters the reform would make it more likely Italy's national leaders could accomplish their goals.

Italy has had nine premiers and 12 governments from 2002-2022, while France had just four and Germany three, Meloni said. Italy’s economy grew just 4% in that period, compared with 20% in France and Germany, she said.

“We have to ask the question: are all Italian politicians worse than those in France and Germany, which frankly I don’t believe, or is something not working,” Meloni asked rhetorically.

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