9 hours ago
Italian labour reform and citizenship referendum under way
On Sunday 8 and Monday 9 June, citizens are called to the polls to vote on five abrogative or repeal referenda - they are so called because they decide whether to retain or repeal a law or decree that is part of the legislature and already implemented.
They coincide with local elections in several Italian regions and municipalities.
The referenda, proposed by trade unions and civic organisations, touch on issues that have generated political debate in recent years, in particular the labour market reform, mainly of the 2016 Jobs Act, and migrant reception and integration policies.
The first four issues are related to the job topic and concern increasing protection of workers, small enterprises and their obligations towards employees, short-term contracts, and the responsibility of clients towards sub-contracting parties and employees' safety.
The fifth question concerns the period of time necessary to be eligible for Italian citizenship, proposing to reduce it from 10 to 5 years.
Government parties opposed the referenda, with some politicians urging citizens not to go to the polls.
Analysts say the vote is a test for Giorgia Meloni's executive.
For the referenda to be valid, a quorum must be reached: at least 50% plus one of all eligible voters must participate.
According to the advocacy group International Democracy Community, the referenda can be characterised as a citizens' initiative:
"The referendum questions were proposed through a bottom-up approach, and did not come from Parliament. Members of the Europa+ party launched the initiative on the citizenship question, whilst the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) has been the initiator of the Jobs Act ones, with support from the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, and the Green & Left Alliance."
Voting is taking place from 07:00 to 23:00 on Sunday and from 07:00 to 15:00 on Monday.
At 12 noon, with almost all sections verified, turnout stood at just over 7%, raising concerns about a successful outcome. In 2011, the last time the quorum was reached in a referendum, 11.6% had voted by that time.
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had reached the western edge of the Donetsk region, one of the four provinces Russia illegally annexed in 2022, and that troops were 'developing the offensive' in the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region.
This would be the first time Russian troops had pushed into the region in the more than three-year-old war. Ukraine has denied the claim.
Russia's advance would mark a significant setback for Ukraine's already stretched forces as peace talks remain stalled and Russian troops have made incremental gains elsewhere.
Putin's forces also appear to be within a few kilometres of the city of Sumy, three years after Ukraine forced them out of the northern region.
One person was killed and another seriously wounded in Russian aerial strikes on the eastern Ukrainian Kharkiv region. These strikes came after Russian attacks targeted the regional capital on Saturday. Regional police in Kharkiv said on Sunday that the death toll from Saturday's attacks had increased to six people. More than two dozen others were wounded.
Russia fired a total of 49 exploding drones and decoys and three missiles overnight, Ukraine's air force said Sunday. Forty drones were shot down or electronically jammed.
Russia's defence ministry said that its forces shot down 61 Ukrainian drones overnight, including near the capital.
Five people were wounded Sunday in a Ukrainian drone attack on a parking lot in Russia's Belgorod region, according to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Two people were wounded when a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at a chemical plant in the Tula region, local authorities said.
Russian authorities said early Sunday that Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports, two international airports serving Moscow, temporarily suspended flights because of a Ukrainian drone attack. Later in the day, Domodedovo halted flights temporarily for a second time, along with Zhukovsky airport.
