Rome Reads a School Decree, and the Election Comes Into View

The Italian government has adopted a decree law capping the number of pupils with a poor command of Italian in each class and banning the burqa and niqab in schools, according to the BBC and Deutsche Welle. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the measures as "common-sense tools that do not divide but really help to integrate", the BBC reported.

The Guardian reported that critics accuse the government of "running scared" and of ramping up divisive rhetoric to court far-right voters ahead of next year's general election. The New York Times wrote that Meloni said the goal was to better integrate non-Italian-speaking children, while critics accused her of trying to appease anti-immigrant sentiment.

The Local Italy reported that the cabinet adopted the decree on Thursday. As a decree rather than an ordinary bill, the measure carries immediate effect and must be converted into law by Parliament within a fixed period, which places the vote in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate squarely inside the political season the foreign press is already describing.