Rome - An Italian house of parliament tested Wednesday a new voting system with finger-print recognition to prevent cheating lawmakers from expressing more than an individual vote.

The so-called "pianists" who on parliament's benches press more than their allotted voting button, often on behalf of absent colleagues, have long been a notorious feature in Italian politics.

Lower-house Chamber of Deputies' speaker Gianfranco Fini, who has spearheaded moves to curb the practice, described it as "an issue of public morality."

Fini on Wednesday led a group of parliamentary reporters to test the new system.

In a mock vote, the reporters whose finger-prints had been previously registered, placed their index fingers on an electronic touchpad.

The first "real" voting session is scheduled for next week in the Chamber of Deputies.

Several lawmakers who have criticized the new system, branding it "undemocratic" and a form of "surveillance," said they would not have their finger-prints registered and vowed to use the old system of voting which remains available.

But Fini said despite the threat, only a "minute" number of the 630 members of the Chamber have refused register their fingerprints.

"They are entitled to do so, those who vote using the old system must know that for the sake of transparency, their names will be made public," he said.

Fini and others have denounced how "pianist" votes allow absent lawmakers to be registered as present in official records, entitling them to receive the daily parliamentary attendance allowance.

The daily allowance amounts to 250 euros (315 dollars).

No plans exist to introduce the new system in the other branch of parliament, the 315-member upper-house Senate. (dpa)