Senate scraps the 3% threshold for the majority bonus and raises the signature requirement to 6,000 for new parties
The reformulated amendment, first signed by Zedda (FdI), was approved with 87 votes: votes from minor lists now count again toward the 42% threshold, while parties not in Parliament will have to collect between 6,000 and 7,000 signatures. Final vote on September 15.
The Senate chamber approved on September 11, 2026, with 87 votes in favor, the reformulated amendment first signed by Fratelli d’Italia senator Antonella Zedda. The text addresses two distinct points of the electoral reform: the calculation of the threshold that triggers the majority bonus and the number of signatures required to submit lists.
On the first point, the amendment removes any threshold for votes gathered by a list to count toward the required 42% needed to obtain the bonus, worth 70 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 35 in the Senate. This eliminates the anti-fragmentation rule passed by the Chamber, which had made that contribution contingent on exceeding 3%: from now on, even votes for the smallest lists within a coalition will count toward the threshold.
On the second point, the minimum number of signatures required from parties not represented in Parliament rises from 1,500 to 6,000, with a maximum cap of 7,000. The exemption remains for parties with two parliamentary groups, or a group formed by December 31, 2025.
The two measures move in different directions: the first makes it more advantageous for coalitions to bring in minor lists, the second makes access to the competition more burdensome for those not in Parliament. The combination shifts the advantage toward parties already in coalitions, while the signature hurdle affects formations outside the parliamentary perimeter.
The vote comes the day after the approval, with 97 in favor and 67 against, of the majority’s unified amendment first signed by Lisei, which introduces the blocked lead candidate system with up to three preference votes and eliminates the Rosatellum’s 60-40 quota for list leaders. The newspaper reported on that day’s proceedings on September 10, when the chamber rejected the opposition’s sub-amendment, first signed by Parrini, which would have eliminated blocked lead candidates. The structure of the text under discussion was outlined in the September 2 opening piece, and the floor passage without a mandate to the rapporteur was covered in the September 9 article.
Positions remain far apart. Five Star Movement president Giuseppe Conte said “This is the return of the Casta.” Reforms Minister Elisabetta Casellati stated that “The goal we are pursuing is stability.”
The number of favorable votes — 87 — is lower than that gathered the previous day by the Lisei amendment; the available material does not report the votes against or abstentions on the Zedda amendment, and on this point the account remains incomplete.
The calendar is set: the final Senate vote is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15. The text will not be final, because the changes introduced at Palazzo Madama require a new reading in Montecitorio: the third reading in the Chamber is expected to begin on September 28.
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