Porta Criticizes Electoral Reform: A Blow to Italian-Descendants

The Italian Senate approved on Tuesday, September 15, an electoral reform that reduces the number of representation zones for Italians abroad. The vote ended with 113 votes in favor and 71 against, with 2 abstentions, according to Italianismo. Deputy Fabio Porta, from the Democratic Party (PD), classified the change as a "blow to the heart" of the political rights of Italian-descendant communities outside Italy, including the Brazilian one.

What Changed in the Electoral Reform

The text approved by the Senate reduces the current four electoral zones of the Overseas District to just two in the Chamber of Deputies — one for Europe and another bringing together the entire rest of the world — and a single zone in the Senate, which today is also divided into regional areas.

Since the version approved by the Senate presents changes in relation to the text that had passed through the Chamber in July, the proposal needs to return to the analysis of deputies before moving forward to ratification. This new round of voting should reopen the debate about the effects of the reform on Italian communities spread throughout the world, a topic closely followed by those who cover Italy News.

Impact for Communities Like Brazil's

Currently, Italians residing abroad elect 8 deputies and 4 senators, distributed across four geographic areas that include South America — the region where the world's largest community of Italian descendants lives, concentrated in Brazil.

According to Italianismo, Fabio Porta warned that, with the merger of zones into just two districts in the Chamber and one in the Senate, countries like the United States, Australia, and Canada risk losing their own parliamentary representation. The same reasoning applies to South America, where the reduction of electoral areas could dilute the ability of elected representatives to maintain direct connection with the specific demands of each community.

For the deputy, the change compromises precisely the model that sought to bring the Italian Parliament closer to the local realities of each region of the globe — a principle that guided the creation of the Overseas District itself. Those who follow debates about Life in Italy and Italian communities in the world also feel the effect of these discussions on political representation.

Fabio Porta's Criticism and Citizenship Context

Porta, who previously held a seat in the Italian Chamber representing South America, said that the electoral reform cannot be analyzed in isolation. According to Italianismo, the deputy linked the proposal to a series of recent measures that, in his assessment, have been reducing the rights of Italians abroad — such as cuts in pensions and unemployment insurance intended for this population.

Porta also associated the political moment with debate over the new Italian citizenship law (Decreto Tajani, converted into Law 74/2025), which restricted citizenship recognition by descent (jure sanguinis), limiting access through administrative and consular channels to children and grandchildren of Italians and excluding great-grandchildren and more distant generations — a topic especially sensitive for Brazilians with Italian roots seeking recognition of nationality. Recent changes to Italian Citizenship rules had already been generating concern among families awaiting case progress or evaluating whether to start the recognition request.

For the PD deputy, the set of these initiatives — electoral reform, social cuts, and new citizenship law — signals a progressive weakening of the institutional bond between Italy and its communities abroad, built over decades through its own parliamentary representation and citizenship recognition policies for descendants.

The proposal now moves forward to new analysis by the Chamber of Deputies, which must decide whether to maintain the text approved by the Senate or make further changes before the final vote.

Source: Italianismo