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Japan Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Italy holds referendum on citizenship and workers' rights
Italians began two days of voting Sunday in a referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labor laws, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government opposed to both and urging people to abstain. The five proposals on the ballot were not expected to pass, in light of low turnout and the requirement that over 50% of voters participate to validate the referendum. Currently, a non-EU adult resident without marriage or blood ties to Italy must live in the country for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship — a process which can then take years more. The referendum proposal, triggered by a grassroots campaign led by NGOs, would cut this to five years, putting Italy in line with Germany and France. Campaigners say around 2.5 million people could benefit from the reform, which is being backed by the center-left Democratic Party. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritized cutting irregular immigration even as her government has increased the number of migrant work visas, is strongly against it. She said on Thursday that the current system "is an excellent law, among the most open, in the sense that we have for years been among the European nations that grant the highest number of citizenships each year." Low initial turnout More than 213,500 people acquired Italian citizenship in 2023, double the number from 2020 and accounting for one-fifth of the total number of naturalizations in EU countries, according to the bloc's statistics. More than 90% were from outside the bloc, mostly from Albania and Morocco, as well as Argentina and Brazil — two countries with large Italian immigrant communities. Ministers agreed in March to restrict the rights to citizenship of those claiming blood ties to Italy from four to two generations. Meloni and her coalition partners encouraged voters to boycott the referendum, which would invalidate it if it fails to clear the 50%-of-eligible-voters turnout threshold. As of 7 p.m. Sunday, national participation was at 15.8%, according to the interior ministry. Voting was to continue through to Monday afternoon. Casting a ballot for the first time in his life at a Rome polling station was Giovanni Puccini, 18, who called Meloni's instruction to abstain "disrespectful" of past sacrifices by Italians. "You have to vote because in the past so many people fought, even died, for this right," he said. His friend Pierre Donadio, 21, said less stringent citizenship laws were needed in the country, to boost diversity and prevent it "being too closed up in itself." Even if it passed, the reform would not affect a migration law many consider unfair: that children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot request nationality until they reach 18. Prominent rapper Ghali, who was born in Milan to Tunisian parents, has been outspoken in advocating a change to the law for children. He urged fans to back Sunday's vote as a step in the right direction. "With a 'Yes' we ask that five years of life here are enough, not 10, to be part of this country," he wrote on Instagram. Interests of workers The ballot includes one question on citizenship. The four others are on increasing protections for workers who are dismissed, in precarious situations or involved in workplace accidents. Those changes were being pushed by the left-wing CGIL trade union. "We want to reverse a culture that has prioritized the interests of business over those of workers," said CGIL general secretary Maurizio Landini. The center-left Democratic Party is also backing the proposals — even though it introduced some of the laws while in office in the past. The proposals took aim at measures in a so-called Jobs Act, passed a decade ago by the government of the Democratic Party prime minister, Matteo Renzi, in order to liberalize the labor market. Supporters say the act boosted employment but detractors say it made work more precarious. Under new leadership, the Democratic Party — which is polling behind Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy — is seeking to woo working-class voters by backing the referendum reform.
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Italy holds referendum on citizenship, workers' rights
A woman casts her ballot in a box for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP) ROME, Italy — Italians began two days of voting Sunday in a referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labour laws, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government opposed to both and urging people to abstain. The five proposals on the ballot were not expected to pass, in light of low turnout and the requirement that over 50 percent of voters participate to validate the referendum. Currently, a non-EU adult resident without marriage or blood ties to Italy must live in the country for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship -- a process which can then take years more. The referendum proposal, triggered by a grassroots campaign led by NGOs, would cut this to five years, putting Italy in line with Germany and France. Campaigners say around 2.5 million people could benefit from the reform, which is being backed by the centre-left Democratic Party. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritised cutting irregular immigration even as her government has increased the number of migrant work visas, is strongly against it. She said on Thursday that the current system 'is an excellent law, among the most open, in the sense that we have for years been among the European nations that grant the highest number of citizenships each year'. Low initial turnout More than 213,500 people acquired Italian citizenship in 2023, double the number from 2020 and accounting for one-fifth of the total number of naturalisations in EU countries, according to the bloc's statistics. More than 90 percent were from outside the bloc, mostly from Albania and Morocco, as well as Argentina and Brazil -- two countries with large Italian immigrant communities. Ministers agreed in March to restrict the rights to citizenship of those claiming blood ties to Italy from four to two generations. Meloni and her coalition partners encouraged voters to boycott the referendum, which would invalidate it if it fails to clear the 50-percent-of-eligible-voters turnout. As of 7:00 pm (1700 GMT) Sunday, national participation was at 15.8 percent, according to the interior ministry. Voting was to continue through to Monday afternoon. Casting a ballot for the first time in his life at a Rome polling station was Giovanni Puccini, 18, who called Meloni's instruction to abstain 'disrespectful' of past sacrifices by Italians. 'You have to vote because in the past so many people fought, even died, for this right,' he said. His friend Pierre Donadio, 21, said less stringent citizenship laws were needed in the country, to boost diversity and prevent it 'being too closed up in itself'. Even if it passed, the reform would not affect a migration law many consider unfair: that children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot request nationality until they reach 18. Prominent rapper Ghali, who was born in Milan to Tunisian parents, has been outspoken in advocating a change to the law for children. He urged fans to back Sunday's vote as a step in the right direction. 'With a 'Yes' we ask that five years of life here are enough, not 10, to be part of this country,' he wrote on Instagram. Interests of workers The ballot includes one question on citizenship. The four others are on increasing protections for workers who are dismissed, in precarious situations or involved in workplace accidents. Those changes were being pushed by the left-wing CGIL trade union. 'We want to reverse a culture that has prioritised the interests of business over those of workers,' CGIL general secretary Maurizio Landini told AFP. The centre-left Democratic Party is also backing the proposals -- even though it introduced some of the laws while in office in the past. The proposals took aim at measures in a so-called Jobs Act, passed a decade ago by the government of the Democratic Party prime minister, Matteo Renzi, in order to liberalise the labour market. Supporters say the act boosted employment but detractors say it made work more precarious. Under new leadership, the Democratic Party -- which is polling behind Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy -- is seeking to woo working-class voters by backing the referendum reform.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Italy holds referendum on easing citizenship rules
Italians are voting in referendums on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labour protections amid concerns that low turnout may deem the poll invalid. Voting began on Sunday and will continue through Monday. The citizenship question on the ballot paper asks Italians if they back reducing the period of residence required to apply for Italian citizenship by naturalisation to five years. A resident from a non-European Union country, without marriage or blood ties to Italy, must currently live in the country for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship, a process that can then take years. Supporters say the reform could affect about 2.5 million foreign nationals living in the country and would bring Italy's citizenship law in line with many other European nations, including Germany and France. The measures were proposed by Italy's main union and left-wing opposition parties. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said she would show up at the polls but not cast a ballot. The left has criticised the action as antidemocratic, since it may hinder efforts to reach the necessary turnout threshold of 50 percent plus one of eligible voters to make the vote valid. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritised cutting undocumented immigration even while increasing the number of work visas for migrants, is strongly against it. She said on Thursday that the current system 'is an excellent law, among the most open, in the sense that we have for years been among the European nations that grant the highest number of citizenships each year'. More than 213,500 people acquired Italian citizenship in 2023, double the number in 2020 and one-fifth of the EU total, according to statistics. More than 90 percent were from outside the EU, mostly from Albania and Morocco, as well as Argentina and Brazil – two countries with large Italian immigrant communities. Even if the proposed reform passes, it will not affect the migration law many consider the most unfair – that children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot request nationality until they reach 18. Italian singer Ghali, who was born in Milan to Tunisian parents and has been an outspoken advocate for changing the law for children, urged his fans to back the proposal as a step in the right direction. 'I was born here, I always lived here, but I only received citizenship at the age of 18,' Ghali said on Instagram. 'With a 'Yes' we ask that five years of life here are enough, not 10, to be part of this country'. Michelle Ngonmo, a cultural entrepreneur and advocate for diversity in the fashion industry, also urged a 'yes' vote. 'This referendum is really about dignity and the right to belong, which is key for many people who were born here and spent most of their adult life contributing to Italian society. For them, a lack of citizenship is like an invisible wall,' said Ngonmo, who has lived most of her life in Italy after moving as a child from Cameroon. 'You are good enough to work and pay taxes, but not to be fully recognised as Italian. This becomes a handicap for young generations, particularly in the creative field, creating frustration, exclusion and a big waste of potential,' she told the Associated Press news agency. The other four measures on the ballot deal with the labour law, including better protections against dismissal, higher severance payments, the conversion of fixed-term contracts into permanent ones and liability in cases of workplace accidents. Opinion polls published in mid-May showed that only 46 percent of Italians were aware of the issues driving the referendums. Turnout projections were even weaker, at about 35 percent of more than 51 million voters, well below the required quorum. Many of the 78 referendums held in Italy in the past have failed due to low turnout. Polling stations opened on Sunday at 7am local time (05:00 GMT), with results expected after polls close on Monday at 3pm (13:00 GMT).
