Italy Election Bill Advances as Renzi Faces Uphill Battle
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Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi secured passage of a new election bill in the Chamber of Deputies, a first step in what remains an uphill battle to make Italy more governable.
The lower house approved the legislation 365 to 156 today, according to its website. The bill, which will now go to the Senate for final approval, sets higher thresholds for smaller parties and introduces a second round if no party or coalition gets 37 percent of the votes in the first. Even if the approval marks a step forward for Renzi, who set it as the first goal on his agenda as premier, it will only apply to the lower house.