Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ruling coalition is pushing through a controversial electoral reform that would award bonus parliamentary seats to winning alliances. The government says the measure would promote political stability, while opponents accuse it of changing the rules to bolster its chances of retaining power in next year’s election.

The controversial bill has cleared three confidence votes in the lower house of parliament, with the final secret ballot scheduled for Thursday. It passed on Wednesday by 228 votes to 144, bringing the government closer to securing ultimate approval for the overhaul.

The reform would replace Italy’s current electoral system, which combines directly elected constituency seats with proportional representation, with a fully proportional system that rewards the winning coalition with additional seats if it secures at least 42% of the vote.

Opposition parties have condemned the proposal, accusing Meloni’s coalition of changing the rules because it fears losing the 2027 election. They have also questioned whether the proposed system of awarding bonus seats is constitutional.

“Fear, lies, contempt, and failure. These are the characteristics of an electoral law passed at the last minute in the final year [of the parliamentary term],” Anna Ascani of the opposition Democratic Party said, according to ANSA.

The reform would replace Italy’s current system, which combines directly elected constituency seats with proportional representation, with a proportional system that rewards the winning coalition if it secures at least 42% of the vote in both chambers.

The winning alliance would receive a bonus of 105 parliamentary seats – 70 in the lower house and 35 in the Senate. If no coalition reaches the threshold, or different alliances win the two chambers, seats would be distributed proportionally without the bonus.

The bill would also require coalitions to name their candidate for prime minister before the election and allow voters to express preferences for up to three candidates on party lists. Critics argue that leading candidates would still be effectively guaranteed a seat.

Meloni has rejected claims that the reform is designed to benefit her coalition, insisting it would ensure political stability regardless of who wins. “I don’t think it’s a law that serves the center-right, but whoever wins the elections will have the numbers to govern,” she said in June.

The overhaul has also raised concerns within Meloni’s own coalition. Some lawmakers fear the new rules could instead benefit a united center-left opposition or smaller rival parties, according to the Financial Times.

The bill has already passed the Senate and faces its final hurdle in the lower house, with Italy’s next general election due in 2027.