The Chamber of Deputies has rejected by a single vote the amendment to the electoral law presented by Fratelli d'Italia, Noi Moderati and Udc, which proposed introducing a blocked list leader alongside the possibility of expressing up to three preferences from the same list. The secret ballot resulted in 188 votes against and 187 in favor. The amendment, identified as number 1.1077, provided that the first elected candidate in each constituency would be the list leader, chosen directly by the party, while any additional seats would be assigned to candidates receiving the most preferences. Each voter could express three preferences, with the requirement that they be assigned to candidates of different gender, failing which the second and third preferences would be annulled. The majority premium would be distributed through blocked constituency lists, also selected by party headquarters. According to a simulation by Youtrend, the impact of preferences would mainly affect medium-large parties with around 20% or more of the vote: in that case, approximately one third of elected representatives would be chosen directly by voters, while the rest would be appointed by party leadership. For smaller parties hovering around 10%, the share of representatives elected through preferences would drop to around 6%, making voter preferences largely ineffective. The defeat came as a surprise, since on the same day the majority had voted compactly on previous ballots, including the rejection of constitutional objections filed by the opposition, with 214 votes, and the rejection of a Pd amendment, again with 214 votes. Comparing these figures with the final result, approximately 30 to 31 votes went missing within the majority. League group leader Riccardo Molinari confirmed an estimate of 31 defectors, while specifying that, according to his calculations, none belonged to the League. Forza Italia group leader Enrico Costa declared that his party had voted solidly, while FdI group leader Galeazzo Bignami said he did not believe there were defectors within Fratelli d'Italia. Bignami however acknowledged that some majority colleagues had chosen to vote differently, some ostentatiously, others under the protection of the secret ballot. A debate has thus opened over the identity of the defectors, with reciprocal accusations among coalition partners. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni commented on the outcome via social media, stating that an attempt had been made to reintroduce preferences after more than 30 years of blocked lists, that a public vote had been requested so that each member would publicly stand by their choice, but that the opposition had opted for a secret ballot. Meloni stated that the opposition voted compactly against, but that several votes were also missing within the majority, prompting a needed reflection. She defined the result as a lost opportunity for citizens. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described the vote as a setback that should not have happened, stressing that it was not a confidence vote and that the government would move forward. Following the announcement of the result, opposition MPs chanted 'Elezioni' and 'Dimissioni' from their benches. Opposition leaders interpreted the vote as a loss of confidence in the prime minister. Pd secretary Elly Schlein described it as a vote against what she termed the arrogance of a leader willing to sacrifice other women's power to defend her own. M5s leader Giuseppe Conte called for Meloni to resign and go home. Avs co-spokespersons Angelo Bonelli and Nicola Fratoianni spoke of a vote of no confidence against the prime minister, who had publicly called for the amendment's passage via social media. Bonelli urged Meloni to go to the Quirinale. Within the majority, according to sources reported by several outlets, there is speculation that a silent and cross-cutting protest by female parliamentarians, including those from the center-right, over the lack of gender parity guarantees may have contributed to the amendment's defeat. A Pd sub-amendment requiring that list leaders not exceed 50% representation of a single gender had been rejected with 207 votes, a lower figure compared to other majority votes during the day. This hypothesis remains unconfirmed and is attributed to parliamentary sources. The group of deputies close to Roberto Vannacci, initially suspected of having defected, reportedly produced a video taken during the vote to demonstrate that they had voted as declared. Senate president Ignazio La Russa suggested that the text could be modified in the Senate, where votes by regulation are public. In the meantime, there has been speculation about possible early elections, including by June, and about the role of Marina Berlusconi, daughter of Silvio Berlusconi and president of Fininvest, with some sources suggesting she may have influenced the vote of Forza Italia parliamentarians. These hypotheses are attributed to press reports and have not been confirmed.