Italy debates ending overseas seats and preference voting in electoral reform

Rumors of reintroducing preferential voting have circulated as Italy prepares a new electoral law, but analysts say the change is unlikely because party secretariats would lose control over candidate lists. Preference voting would shift power from party leadership to voters, threatening incumbent MPs who were placed via list positions rather than personal vote.

The centre‑right coalition is also reportedly planning to eliminate the four overseas constituencies that currently elect eight deputies and four senators for Italians living abroad, and to discard the preferential vote altogether. The Democratic Party's overseas liaison, Luciano Vecchi, criticised the move as a "blitz" that would strip more than seven million Italians abroad of representation, suggesting it could be used to parachute candidates lacking spots on domestic lists.