The Northern League is strongly against giving immigrants the right to vote despite House Speaker Gianfranco Fini's cautious backing to the opposition's proposal, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said on Thursday.
''I don't think this initiative will go anywhere and it's not in the government's programme,'' Maroni said.
Addressing an opposition gathering on Wednesday night, Fini said the proposal should be taken into consideration ''along with all the aspects of what being a citizen entails''.
Fini, who stepped down as leader of the right-wing National Alliance party when he was appointed speaker, said the proposal should ''neither be seen as a deplorable idea nor the absolute guarantee that it would serve integration''.
Rights, Fini added, need to go hand in hand with duties, which he said included ''having a job, a home, obeying the laws and paying taxes''.
Maurizio Gasparri, Senate Whip for the majority People of Freedom (PDL) party, weighed into the debate on Thursday saying that although Fini's opinion was respectable, giving immigrants voting rights ''was not an issue on the agenda''.
''The right to vote is currently linked to citizenship. The ten-year period of residency in Italy to apply for citizenship still stands''.
Giving someone who is not a citizen voting rights, even if only for local elections, would be a ''mistake'', he said.
Premier Silvio Berlusconi backed Gasparri, telling reporters ''I'm not aware that giving voting rights to immigrants is on parliament's agenda''.
The leader of Italy's centre-left opposition on Monday sent Fini an open letter, calling for immigrants to be given the right to vote.
Walter Veltroni said foreigners should be able to vote in local elections, regardless of whether they have applied for Italian citizenship.
''Foreigners living in Italy's cities or small towns contribute to the life of the community and have children that study here who will be the artisans, labourers, traders and managers of tomorrow,'' said Veltroni.
''Just as these individuals have a duty to pay taxes and respect the law, so they should have other rights recognized, such as helping choose the administrators who will shape their own future and that of their family''.
In the letter, Veltroni announced his plan to table a constitutional bill later this week that would guarantee immigrants who have been living in Italy for at least five years the right to vote in administrative and other local elections.
Former minister Livia Turco, who is co-sponsoring the bill, explained that if approved, it would amend article 48 of the Italian Constitution, which guarantees voting rights to all ''Italian citizens''.
''It would introduce an important way for citizens - who live in Italy and pay their taxes - to participate in community life'', she said.
The proposal was immediately greeted with fierce criticism by the centre right majority.
Isabella Bertolini, immigration coordinator for the People of Freedom (PDL) party, said: ''Duties are more important than rights'' for immigrants.
Roberto Cota, House whip for the Northern League party, suggested the proposal could have dangerous repercussions.
''It would be extremely perilous to open the floodgates in such a sensitive area - who knows where we could end up?'' he said.
The issue of immigrants' right to vote in local elections has reared its head several times in recent years.
The Council of State, Italy's highest administrative court, in 2005 rejected a move by the city of Genoa to allow immigrants to vote in municipal elections, saying only central government had the power to extend voting rights.
In 2004, Rome allowed foreigners in the city to elect representatives to ''advise'' the city council. These representatives have no powers of their own and are only allowed to offer opinions on policy.
However, the biggest drive to give foreigners voting rights was spearheaded by the previous centre-left government shortly after coming to power in 2006.
The proposal, which would have given foreigners the right to vote in municipal elections, stalled in parliament and was later dropped.
A poll by research institute IREF last year found that almost 60% of foreigners living in Italy said they thought voting rights would help them feel more integrated and ''less foreign''.
