Senator Andrea Crisanti leaves Democratic Party to support Rifondazione Comunista

Senator Andrea Crisanti has left the Democratic Party (PD) group in the Italian Senate to join the Mixed Group. This move is intended to assist the Rifondazione Comunista party in navigating new electoral law requirements.

Under the recently promulgated electoral reform, new political formations face a significant hurdle in collecting signatures for election lists. While some parties must collect 6,000 signatures per constituency, certain parliamentary components can benefit from a reduced requirement of 1,500 signatures. Crisanti, a microbiologist who entered Parliament with the PD, stated he is providing a hand to a left-wing party to ensure no left-wing votes are wasted in upcoming elections.

The operation involves utilizing Senate regulations that allow the Mixed Group to represent parties meeting specific electoral criteria. This mechanism may allow Rifondazione Comunista to benefit from reduced signature requirements, provided the necessary conditions were met by the law's effective date of October 24.