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Updated at 21:02 (Italian time) 5 Oct 2026

Italy Monday, 5 October 2026 · AI-generated content, without human review

Electoral law, government calls for confidence vote in the Chamber: final vote on Thursday

After the rejection of the constitutionality objections, the executive shields the first three articles of the reform with a confidence vote.

Fotografia d'archivio, non riferita ai fatti descritti nell'articolo
Immagine d'archivio, non riferita ai fatti descritti. Foto di Leonhard_Niederwimmer su Pixabay

The Meloni government has called a confidence vote on the first three articles of the electoral law reform in the Chamber of Deputies. The move comes after the constitutionality objections raised by the opposition were rejected with 229 votes against.

By calling a confidence vote on the three articles already amended in the Senate, the executive aims to shield their approval, avoiding the risk of amendments that could alter their content on the floor. The final vote on the entire measure, by secret ballot, is set for Thursday, October 8.

The parliamentary opposition reacted harshly to the government’s choice. In a joint statement, the opposition groups spoke of an executive that “is afraid of its own majority, a slap in the face to Parliament,” accusing the majority of resorting to the confidence vote tool to avoid an open debate on the merits of the reform.

The secret ballot mechanism, planned for Thursday’s final vote, introduces an additional element of uncertainty compared to today’s confidence vote: unlike the latter, which takes place by open vote and thus binds the majority groups, the secret ballot leaves room for individual defections, something the opposition’s statement itself seems to underscore by explicitly speaking of “fear of its own majority.”

The reform’s path is nonetheless approaching its decisive step. After the rejection of the objections and today’s confidence vote on the first three articles, the next milestone is the final vote on Thursday, October 8, when it will become clear whether the majority that backed the confidence vote will also hold in the secret ballot on the entire text. Until then, the measure remains suspended between the shielded approval of the initial articles and the uncertainty of the secret ballot, the only stage in which majority discipline is not guaranteed by an open vote.

Diesel discount ends, government opens extra-deficit of 29 billion

As of today, the 6.1-cent cut on diesel excise duties expires; in parallel, the Council of Ministers approved an extra-deficit of 29 billion for energy and defense, with Giorgetti calling for prudence on debt.

Fotogramma d'archivio, non riferito ai fatti descritti
Video d'archivio, non riferito ai fatti descritti. Video di K su Pexels

As of today, October 5, the tax discount of 6.1 euro cents on diesel excise duties has expired, replaced by the mobile excise duty mechanism. The measure, introduced to mitigate rising fuel prices, is now giving way to a different system just as consumer associations report an already heavy burden on Italian motorists.

According to calculations by Adusbef, soaring fuel prices have cost Italian families more than 4.7 billion euros in six months, with a burden of 1.7 billion concentrated in July and August alone. Since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, the same analysis reports, the average pump price of unleaded petrol has risen by 29.1% and that of diesel by 36.6%. Some oil companies have introduced a voluntary price cap intended to ease the impact of the increases, but the measure does not apply to independent service stations.

On the same day the excise duty discount expired, the Council of Ministers approved the Public Finance Planning Document along with an extra-deficit of 29 billion euros earmarked for energy and defense. The Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti indicated a more cautious approach on the budget, pointing out that public debt is projected to grow even in 2027, reaching 138.5% of GDP.

MeasureValue
Expired excise duty discount6.1 cents/liter
Estimated burden (6 months, Adusbef)over 4.7 billion euros
Council of Ministers extra-deficit29 billion euros
Projected debt/GDP 2027138.5%

Cuts of seven billion euros to projects under the Ministry of Defense, led by Guido Crosetto, are also under study, as part of the same budget plan that opens new fiscal space for energy and security. The news of the extra-deficit comes so far from a single source, the Council of Ministers’ statement reported by Il Sole 24 Ore; no independent confirmation is currently available.

“Prudence is needed” — Giancarlo Giorgetti, Minister of Economy

The picture emerging today is one of a government removing a price-containment tool for consumers while, at the same table, opening new deficit spending for energy and defense, with public debt remaining the variable on which the Minister of Economy himself calls for caution.

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