but what are the hypotheses in the field? – Corriere.it

The debate on constitutional reforms is getting into full swing: in January the Minister of Reforms Maria Elisabetta Casellati will hold a series of meetings with the exponents of political forces, including those of the opposition, to start the process of changing the form of government. I am two hypotheses that hold court these days: semi-presidentialismwhich Fratelli d’Italia promoted during the electoral campaign, e the premiership, on which instead an opening of the Third Pole has emerged in the last few hours. Let’s see them in comparison.

THE
What is the hypothesis of making our Republic presidential rather than parliamentary?? It means that the President of the Republic would no longer play the role of arbiter and guarantor, as he does now, but would have a real role of political guidance, leading the executive: he too would be the head of government.

Presidentialism

What the majority of Giorgia Meloni looks at, not presidentialism american style, where the president, voted by the electors, chosen in turn by the citizens, has great powers (including the legislative veto, foreign policy, the appointment of judges) and autonomy with respect to Parliament (the president must not have the trust and the Parliament can be of different political positions, in fact the US Parliament is renewed partially and periodically, thus allowing changes in the majority).

The French model (which the centre-right likes)

rather one mitigated formwhich takes as a model the French semi-presidentialism. Where the President of the Republic elected directly by the citizens. Next to him, for, there is also a prime ministerindicated by the president and that must have confidence of the Parliament, who shares executive power with him. In this hypothesis, which is precisely the one preferred by the majority, the head of state legitimized by popular vote: one could not even distrust the government formed by the president without forming another one, which would in any case see the same president at the top. But unlike the US model, the government depends on Parliament for its trust. This dual structure of government power, also called bicephalous due to its two heads, allows different balances of the form of government, which can see the prevalence now of the President, now of the Prime Minister and his majority.

The premiership (which the Third Pole likes)

But what instead also meets the favor of the so-called Third Pole, and on which therefore an agreement could be found between the majority and the opposition, the premiership, or the direct election of the Prime Minister, former workhorse of the Renzians ( the mayor of Italy): provides that the head of government is chosen directly by the citizens, and not as now appointed by the President of the Republic after consultations. Here we are, in our program, confirms Ettore Rosato. And openings to the hypothesis have also arrived from the centre-right.

Prototype of the premiership the Westminster model, i.e. the parliamentary and government system in force in the United Kingdom, where the customary practice is that the role of head of government is entrusted to the leader of the main party that wins the election (causing the voters to vote directly or indirectly for the candidate for the role of head of government); that the head of government is also the guide of the parliamentary majority, guaranteeing the government a certain stability; and that the head of government can decide the dissolution of Parliament in substantial autonomy.

Movement

On the other hand, Enrico Letta’s Pd is on a war footing

not in favor of either the election of the President of the Republic or of the Prime Minister. As well as the Five Stars by Giuseppe Conte. Bicameral for reforms? There is a very high level of mistrust on the method that we have seen so far, was the comment by the Nazarene on a proposal for a bicameral reform, in any case the strong opposition to presidentialism on the part of the Democratic Party remains.

The comment

Government and above all Parliament will have to think carefully about all these hypotheses – he underlines Raffaele Bifulco, professor of constitutional law at Luiss– A careful evaluation of the concrete historical and institutional context seems essential to me. US presidentialism only worked well in that systemcharacterized by large spaces and a profound and mature federalism. Even French-style semi-presidentialism must be evaluated in the light of concrete historical experience. In this regard, the fact that a constitutional amendment has taken place to elect the President and Parliament at the same time should invite us to reflect on the risks of cohabitation, i.e. the hypothesis in which the political color of the directly elected President does not correspond to the political color of the majority of Parliament . These are hypotheses – explains Bifulco again – which have effectively occurred in the recent history of France and which help to explain the decision to elect the President and Parliament at the same time, with a stiffening of the system in favor of the President. With regard to the so-called premiership, finally, concludes the constitutional law professor, it is precisely the concrete experiences of recent years that must invite us to reflect on the link between any changes and the current electoral system.