With 113 votes in favor, 71 against, and two abstentions, Italy's Senate approved the controversial electoral law reform today amid opposition protests and complaints from the center-right.

The text now returns to the Chamber of Deputies for the third round of parliamentary voting, which begins on September 28, with a probable confidence motion and the uncertainty of a secret ballot, according to the online publication Avvenire.

According to local press outlets, the main change compared to the first reading in the Chamber of Deputies is the introduction of so-called preferences, albeit partial, such that list leaders remain locked in place, but up to three names can be selected from a list of six, alternating gender.

Despite a long debate within the center-right majority, no changes were reported to the threshold for the majority bonus, meaning it will remain at 42 percent. Thus, the coalition that achieves this target will obtain 70 deputies and 35 senators.

The so-called "anti-bush" rule was removed from the text, which had introduced a minimum vote threshold for minority parties forming part of a coalition, allowing all of them to count toward the assignment of the majority prize or governability bonus at the national level.

However, the number of signatures required for political parties without parliamentary representation to run in the next general elections was increased to six thousand, four times the current limit—a measure that was strongly criticized by the opposition.

Avvenire notes that there were changes regarding voting abroad: the current eight constituencies will be merged and reduced to two for the Chamber of Deputies and one for the Senate.

The Upper House also introduced a change to the voting rule for non-residents, extending it to caregivers. They will be able to vote in their municipality of residence provided they have lived there for at least nine months and are registered in the special registry established by the administration.

According to press reports, the session at the capital's Palazzo Madama, seat of the Senate, concluded with a demonstration by the center-left opposition carrying yellow and red banners with messages reading "No to the fraudulent law."