Meloni counters Mattarella, challenges Istat data and ties confidence vote to electoral reform

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni used a brief interview on Rai 1 to reinterpret President Sergio Mattarella's recent school-opening speech, insisting that the president was not opposing the government's proposal to limit the share of non-Italian-speaking students in a classroom to 30 percent. She cited past education circulars as precedent but distinguished them from one outlet measure. Meloni also took aim at Istat, claiming the institute had revised both the projected 2025 deficit and 2024 growth upward, implying previous underestimation.

She defended a vehicle-tax exemption for low-power cars and rejected regional governors' claims that the policy would cut regional health funding, noting state reimbursement. The premier linked the upcoming confidence vote to the electoral law, stating that failure to secure confidence would force the government to acknowledge its loss. Throughout, she framed each issue as a test of the government's resolve and policy coherence.