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Italy 2022 early parliamentary elections: ODIHR election assessment mission final report

17 January 2023
(OSCE)

The September 2022 early parliamentary elections in Italy were competitive, with fundamental freedoms respected. Media coverage of the campaign was extensive and varied, creating the conditions for citizens to make an informed choice. The elections were run professionally and efficiently, and the various bodies administering them enjoyed a high level of confidence. Nevertheless, some aspects of the electoral legislation needing further review were of concern. These included those related to the criminalization of defamation, the need to allow citizen observation, insufficient transparency and scope of campaign finance regulation, and further efforts to promote women’s participation in political life.

These are some of the main conclusions of the final report assessing the 2022 early parliamentary elections, published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The report makes 14 recommendations to bring Italy’s elections more in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections.

Some key recommendations include:

  • Consolidating the electoral legal framework through an inclusive consultative process, removing existing gaps and further aligning legislation with international standards and OSCE commitments;
  • Allowing independent candidates to run for office;
  • Strengthening freedom of expression by increasing protection of journalists against threats and intimidation and by repealing criminal sanctions for defamation;
  • Introducing measures to deter the abuse of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) affecting the media;
  • Enhancing the regulation of the campaign and its media coverage to ensure an environment in which candidates have fair opportunities to campaign, including online;
  • Reviewing the gender quota system in order to increase the representation of women in parliament.

ODIHR deployed an Election Assessment Mission on 13 September 2022 to observe the early parliamentary elections. All 57 participating States across the OSCE region have formally committed to following up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations. For more information, see the ODIHR Electoral Recommendations Database.