Italian parties call for quick elections after court ruling

ROME – Lawmakers from across Italy’s political spectrum are calling for quick elections after the constitutional court ruled the current electoral law can be used.

The majority Democratic Party, the leading opposition 5-Star Movement, the smaller anti-immigrant Northern League all called for immediate elections after the court ruled Wednesday.

The 2015 law under review governs elections for the lower, 630-seat Chamber of Deputies. Among other things it assigns a bonus to the majority party if it reaches a 40 per cent threshold. That prize was upheld by the court, though some other measures were ditched.

The law was adopted under the assumption that parliament’s upper Senate chamber would be reformed. Italians, however, overwhelmingly rejected the proposed Senate reforms in a Dec. 4 referendum, leading to Matteo Renzi’s resignation as premier.