Italian Electoral Reform
The Christian Democrats of Italy and their allies are seeking (in their own interests, it is true, but also for the _sake of ensuring stability of government) to avert the paralysing dangers of proportional representation with the proposal that a party—or group of parties in a single list— should be allotted almost two-thirds of the seats in the Chamber if it gains more than fifty per cent. of the votes. This is the system under which the general election will almost certainly be held next year. Certainly the. Bill will be opposed strenuously by the Opposition parties, but the probable, and minor, modifications likely to be allowed will be made not to please them but to meet the objections of the smaller parties which do not support the Government but yet have given their support to neither the right nor the left blocs of the Opposition. By this means, 'which die-hard supporters of the principle of strict proportional representation can scarcely approve, the Christian Democrats and their allies—the Liberals, -the Demo- cratic Socialists and the Republicans—are ensuring that they will not lose control as a result of any decline in popularity that may reveal itself in the results of the election next year. Proportional representation was strictly applied in the election of 1948, and the Christian Democrats had a clear majority over all , other parties combined, but they do not expect such straightforward victory next. year. It is the parties of the extreme right—the Fascists and the Monarchists—which are likely to benefit from this, not the Communists. Still, if the Bill goes through, Signor De Gasperi may be sure of another five years. The aim of the Bill, he has explained, is to allow a group which has gained the majority " to reinforce its- majority margin to the extent necessary to enable it to work usefully in Parliament and in the Government."
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