Referendum in Italy to fail as turnout far below threshold, polling agency says

Published on 09/06/2025 - 17:19 GMT+2

A referendum successful Italy connected citizenship requirements and occupation protection is apt to person failed, arsenic turnout was acold beneath nan required threshold, polling agency YouTrend said connected Monday.

Turnout needed to beryllium astatine slightest 50% positive 1 ballot to make nan referendum results binding, but based connected information collected from 60,000 polling stations, turnout was astir 30%.

The referendum, projected by waste and acquisition unions and civic organisations, addresses issues that person generated governmental statement successful Italy successful caller years, peculiarly labour marketplace reform, chiefly nan 2016 Labour Act, arsenic good arsenic migrant reception and integration policies.

The first 4 questions subordinate to labour issues and interest nan expanding protection of workers, mini enterprises and their obligations towards employees, short-term contracts, and nan work of clients towards subcontracting parties and employees’ safety.

The 5th mobility concerns nan play of clip basal for non-EU nationals domiciled successful nan state to beryllium eligible for Italian citizenship, proposing to trim it from 10 to 5 years.

The parties of nan ruling coalition, led by Premier Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, opposed nan referendum, pinch immoderate politicians urging citizens not to participate successful nan vote.

According to nan defense group International Democracy Community, though guidance parties person supported nan referendum, it is chiefly a citizens' inaugural and not a governmental matter.

"The referendum questions were projected done a bottom-up approach, and did not travel from parliament," nan International Democracy Community said successful a statement.

"Members of nan Europa+ statement launched nan inaugural connected nan citizenship question, whilst nan Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) has been nan initiator of nan Labour Act ones, pinch support from nan Democratic Party, nan Five Star Movement, and nan Green and Left Alliance."

According to exit information aft polls closed astatine 3 pm, nan "yes" ballot for nan 4 labour rule questions stood astatine astir 85%, while 60% of voters said yes to nan citizenship question.

The referendum coincided pinch section elections successful respective Italian regions and municipalities.