Abstract

The essay highlights how the constitutional amendment on the reduction of the number of Italian parliamentarians has constituted an instrument for aggregating the various political majorities of the XVIII legislature. Starting from the political events that led to the approval of the reform, the paper investigates the parliamentary works concerning the reform as well as the other constitutional amendment bills presented during the legislature in question. The essay also points out how the reduction of the number of parliamentarians plays the role of «trailblazer» towards subsequent reform attempts. At the same time, the paper underlines the way in which the reform could mark the beginning of a season of «punctual and continuous» constitutional reforms (in the intentions of the political forces), re-legitimating a political class to engage in constitutional reform, after the referendum defeats of 2006 and of 2016.