Meloni government vows to press on with electoral reform after losing key vote

The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, called the failed amendment ‘a missed opportunity for the Italian people’. Photograph: Mauro Scrobogna/LaPresse/Shutterstock

Giorgia Meloni’s ruling coalition has pledged to persevere with its flagship plans to overhaul Italy’s electoral system after a parliamentary setback provoked calls for snap elections.

In a secret ballot in the lower house on Tuesday, an amendment to a key aspect of the reforms was defeated by a single vote, with an estimated 20-25 members of the coalition breaking ranks.