Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Renzi signed a deal on electoral reforms in Italy

Silvio Berlusconi, founder head of the Forza Italia party and Matteo Renzi, leader of Democratic Party (PD) on 18 January 2014 signed a deal on electoral reforms in Italy. Both leaders agreed to back reforms to finally make Italy more governable. Berlusconi founded Forza Italia party is center-right party of Italy while Matteo Renzi lead Democratic Party (PD) is the largest center-left party of Italy. Both leaders held two-and-a-half hours of talks at PD headquarters in Rome.
Main features of the electoral reforms deal are following:
• Both favoured a system based on proportional representation with a large number of small constituencies each electing four or five representatives and a winner's bonus of 15-20 percent of seats.
• Parties winning below five percent of the vote would not get into parliament.
• Both leaders agreed on the need for an electoral law that "favors governability and a bi-polar system, and eliminates the blackmail power of the smallest parties".
• They also favoured a reform of the upper house Senate so that it does not merely duplicate the work of the lower house Chamber of Deputies as well as changes to the governing structure of Italy's regions and provinces.
• The deal struck down the system of voting for party lists of candidates and the rules that gave the largest coalition an automatic 55 percent of seats - on a national basis in the lower house and regionally in the senate. It also said voters should have the right to choose representatives, not simply vote for lists picked and ranked by party bosses.