Hot January for parliament and government. Having archived the economic maneuver with approval on 28 December in the Senate, the Executive and Legislative Powers are preparing for a resumption of work which promises to offer a continuation of the tensions of recent days in terms of relations between the majority and the opposition.

There are knots on the table that will necessarily require transversal compromises to be resolved. The first major appointment is set for January 20, with the Constitutional Court’s decision on the admissibility of the referendum to repeal the law on differentiated autonomy, a topic destined to rekindle deep conflicts both within the majority and between the oppositions.

Before that date it will be necessary to appoint four new judges of the Council. Since 21 December, in fact, the Court’s college has had the legal minimum to decide on, eleven members out of the fifteen foreseen. A delay in the election risks paralyzing its functioning if even just one of the judges is unwell with a cold (which is also frequent during the winter season…).

But here a significant obstacle emerges: the election of judges requires a qualified majority of three fifths, a threshold that the center-right cannot reach without the support of the opposition. Therefore all parties will be called upon to demonstrate maturity by showing that they are capable of reaching a bipartisan agreement. A road that appears to be uphill given the exasperated tones and the increasingly accentuated political polarization.

Everything is also made more complicated by the calendar of work of the Chamber and Senate, congested by a “traffic jam” of decrees awaiting approval or still being published in the Official Journal, such as the Milleproroghe, the Caivano bis decree, a new decree Pnrr and the one on weapons for Ukraine.

The shadow of possible divisions within the majority

Precisely the decree on armaments in Kiev – a commitment reiterated in recent days by both Prime Minister Meloni and Minister Crosetto – represents the risk of a split for the centre-right majority, in light of the growing critical voices among the ranks of the League. There is no shortage of distinctions on equally delicate issues on a political and institutional level, such as justice reform and the separation of magistrates’ careers.

On 8 January, when the Chamber will vote on the constitutionality preliminary rulings presented by the opposition against the justice reform, it will be understood how much on Justice Fratelli d’Italia, Lega, Forza Italia and the ever-widening patrol of We Moderates will be able to tighten the ranks. It is likely that it will not be that passage in which some internal contradictions could explode, which instead could become irrepressible during the voting on the amendments. The government’s stated objective is to approve the reform in Montecitorio by January.

The other fronts: Premiership, electoral law, Court of Auditors

Another hot topic is that of the reform of the premiership, which Giorgia Meloni seems intent on removing from the freezer in which it ended up on the eve of the many electoral appointments in 2024. In addition to the merit of the reform, it will be necessary to clarify whether the majority intends to promote – as always – including a revision of the electoral law which is in any case essential to give coherence to the project. Topics that do not excite Italians, but nothing attracts the attention of all parliamentarians like the discussion on the rules on which their potential re-election depends.

Another critical dossier is represented by the proposed law on the Court of Auditors which essentially aims to transform the Court from a control body to a body supporting public administrations. The main objective is to speed up the implementation of the PNRR. The text sparked negative reactions among accounting magistrates and senior state officials, drawing the attention of the Presidency of the Republic.

The protagonists of politics will return to dealing with this and more (including the many international crises and European uncertainties, in which Italy must play a role) after New Year’s Eve, when these few days of vacation will seem like just a distant memory.