“‘The shameful guillotine’ is one of the opposition’s favorite slogans for describing the new provision in the Regulation of the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale). Let’s try to explain what it actually involves, beyond the labels.” Pdcs councillor Marino Albani weighs in on the debate over the reform of the Council’s rules of procedure, specifically the provision governing the handling of amendments after 25 hours of debate on a bill.
“The rule provides that, after 25 hours of parliamentary debate on a bill, it becomes possible to strike obstructionist amendments still awaiting discussion, in order to reach approval of the text within a reasonable timeframe. It doesn’t work like the Italian mechanism of a confidence vote, but the effect is to make Council proceedings leaner, faster and therefore more effective, overcoming any obstructionist intent,” Albani explains.
The Christian Democrat councillor then focuses his reasoning on what has happened in the Chamber over the past two years. “The starting point is a reality everyone is aware of: over the last two years, obstructionism has reached unsustainable levels for the smooth running of Council business, especially on sensitive issues such as the budget laws and the Igr tax reform, but also on measures of lesser scope. The opposition systematically occupies the bulk of debate time, broadcasting repeated and repetitive speeches over the radio, often with poor content quality and little relevance to the agenda, with the sole aim of stretching out approval times. And this happens while the majority and the Government voluntarily limit the number and length of their own speeches precisely to save time.”
Albani then recalls an episode dating back, he says, to the early months of the legislature. “When I mildly criticized this obstructionist behavior, some prominent opposition figures responded rather forcefully, saying that if they had truly wanted to obstruct, they could have even brought the Council’s work to a standstill. That statement bordered on blackmail, and it threatens governability and the country’s stability, in the presence of a democratically elected majority holding 44 of 60 seats.”
For Albani, it will ultimately be the practical application of the new provision that shows its effects. “This is an experimental rule, but it already has the right features to effectively counter systematic — albeit legitimate — obstructionism, and to make Council proceedings more efficient. In fact, we could have gone further: for example, by reducing the time allotted for individual speeches, since the same points can be made in half the time if one wishes, and this would have allowed for more speeches and broader involvement of all councillors.”
“For now, we’re beginning to put the new rule into practice. It will never be too late to adopt further measures once we see how things actually play out,” the Pdcs councillor concludes.
