Italian Parliament Approves Controversial Electoral Law

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The Italian parliament Thursday gave its final go-ahead to a highly contested electoral law that will shape the results of next year's general election to the advantage of established parties, Politico writes. The center-left government headed by Paolo Gentiloni was forced to impose eight separate confidence votes as the electoral bill passed through parliament in order to win final approval.
In the final step of a tormented approval process, the bill was approved in the Italian Senate by 214 votes to 61 earlier Thursday, following days of heated protests from the opposition benches.

The new rules are furiously contested by the anti-establishment 5Star Movement and some leftist groups. The 5Stars claim that the new law was expressly designed by the ruling center-left Democratic Party (PD) and its allies to kill the movement's chances of winning the upcoming election, due by next May.

The populist movement, which staunchly refuses any alliance with the other traditional parties, is leading opinion polls in the run-up to election — neck and neck with former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's PD. But by changing the voting system in national elections in favor of broad pre-election coalitions, the law could severely dent the movement's chances of power.

The 5Star Movement's leaders, headed by ex-comedian Beppe Grillo, staged a huge protest Wednesday in a square in Rome close to parliament, covering their eyes with white blindfolds to indicate that Italy's parliament was going to vote "blind."

Hundreds of their supporters filled the square at the Roman Pantheon to protest against the bill, chanting "honesty, honesty" and waving party flags.

The new electoral system, named "Rosatellum" after the PD's deputy...

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