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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Analysis-Italy's referendum flop bolsters Meloni, reveals divide on left over citizenship
By Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) -Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni snubbed a referendum on easing citizenship laws but has emerged stronger from the vote as the leftist opposition failed to mobilise mass opposition to her right-wing government after nearly three years in power. A coalition of political parties, unions and civil society groups had promoted the five-question referendum. The proposals included halving the period of residence required to apply for Italian citizenship by naturalisation to five years from 10 as well as strengthening job protection rules. The 'Yes' vote prevailed but only around 30% of eligible voters cast their ballots, far fewer than the required 50% plus one of the electorate needed for the referendum to be valid, meaning Meloni can ignore the results. Key government ministers had encouraged their supporters to boycott the referendum while the opposition had hoped that a strong turnout could help build momentum in favour of political change and challenge Meloni's domination of Italian politics. "It has been a big defeat for the left, that strengthens the government," said Antonio Tajani, the deputy prime minister and leader of Forza Italia party, one of the coalition parties. Meloni, who took office in October 2022 at the head of a right-wing coalition, remains popular. A poll from SWG institute on Tuesday put her Brothers of Italy party at just above 30%, up from the 26% it won in a 2022 national election, while the main opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) was on 23%. "This was an attempt to deal a blow (to the government) and it seems to me that it has failed. I think there was hope among the promoters of a stronger anti-Meloni mobilisation," said Lorenzo Pregliasco, from YouTrend polling agency. YouTrend figures showed an average 12.9 million electors voted 'Yes' on the labour questions - slightly more than those who backed the centre-right coalition in 2022 - which the opposition hailed as the first building block of an alternative. Italy's next national election is not scheduled until 2027. DIVISION ON CITIZENSHIP RULES Tallies showed differences in voting between the labour-related measures and the question about easing citizenship rules, which was far more contentious given Meloni's hard line against mass migration. More than 85% of those who took part in the two-day vote backed stronger protection for workers but roughly a third opposed speeding up the procedures for gaining citizenship, indicating divisions also among progressive voters on the issue. "There is a part of the more moderate left-wing electorate that does not share the (progressive) parties' positions on migrants. They are not against them, but they want laws that can limit entry and citizenship," said polling expert Antonio Noto. Noto added that the data suggested some of Italy's right-leaning voters had defied calls from their parties' leaders to boycott the referendum and had likely helped boost the "No" vote on citizenship. Pollsters say the wealthy centres of cities including Milan and Turin strongly backed reforming the citizenship rules, while the number decreased in the suburbs, indicating that lower-income voters are more conservative on the issue. The failure of the referendum has dealt a major setback for groups fighting for the integration of migrants. Promoters complained of confusion and overlap with other issues, including the management of migratory flows and illegal arrivals. "The lack of information and misinformation on the citizenship question certainly affected the result, in terms of abstentions and votes against," said Anna Lisa Mandorino, who heads civil rights group Cittadinanzattiva.
Muscat Daily
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Italy: Low turnout sinks citizenship, labour referendums
Rome, Italy – Italian citizenship and labour reform referendums look likely to fail due to low voter turnout. As two-day voting wound down in Europe's fourth-largest economy only about 30% of Italy's 51mn eligible voters had turned out to cast ballots in five referendums championed by centre-left opposition groups as well as the country's labour unions. Referendums require 50% plus one voter participation to be legally binding in Italy. The result is seen as a major victory for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who vehemently opposed the measures. Meloni arrived at a Rome polling station on Sunday – when turnout was 22% – to declare that she would not cast a vote. Meloni then once-again encouraged her supporters to likewise boycott the ballot. The referendums Four of the referendums centred on workplace protections including better protections against firing, increased severance pay, unemployment benefits, the end of fixed-term contracts and better workplace accident compensation. A fifth referendum addressed whether voters wanted to ease citizenship laws in the country, allowing non-EU immigrants to apply for Italian passports after five rather than the current 10 years. At the moment, the rule would apply to roughly 2.5mn non-EU immigrants. Arguments for easing citizenship requirements were driven by the demographic fact of Italy's dwindling birth rates and calls for better integrating foreign workers in an effort to boost the country's economy. Data compiled by the polling organisation YouTrend said voter turnout was higher in the country's industrialised north than the agricultural south, as well in cities and in areas where left-leaning parties preformed best in Italy's most recent general and EU elections. 'The opposition wanted to turn this into a referendum on the Meloni government,' said Cabinet undersecretary and Meloni ally Giovanbattista Fazzolari. 'The response is very clear: The government emerges from this stronger and the opposition weaker.' Speaking of the vote's failure, YouTrend's Lorenzo Pregliasco said: 'Whether just above 30% or just below, this is a low figure… below the expectations and targets set by the promoters.' DW
Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Italy's referendum flop bolsters Meloni, reveals divide on left over citizenship
FILE PHOTO: People stand next to a banner in favour of five abrogative popular referendums on employment and Italian citizenship, in Milan, Italy, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Greco/File Photo FILE PHOTO: A person sits at a polling station, during a referendum on employment and Italian citizenship at a polling station in Rome, Italy, June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Matteo Minnella/File Photo FILE PHOTO: People prepare to vote during a referendum on employment and Italian citizenship at a polling station in Rome, Italy, June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Matteo Minnella/File Photo ROME - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni snubbed a referendum on easing citizenship laws but has emerged stronger from the vote as the leftist opposition failed to mobilise mass opposition to her right-wing government after nearly three years in power. A coalition of political parties, unions and civil society groups had promoted the five-question referendum. The proposals included halving the period of residence required to apply for Italian citizenship by naturalisation to five years from 10 as well as strengthening job protection rules. The 'Yes' vote prevailed but only around 30% of eligible voters cast their ballots, far fewer than the required 50% plus one of the electorate needed for the referendum to be valid, meaning Meloni can ignore the results. Key government ministers had encouraged their supporters to boycott the referendum while the opposition had hoped that a strong turnout could help build momentum in favour of political change and challenge Meloni's domination of Italian politics. "It has been a big defeat for the left, that strengthens the government," said Antonio Tajani, the deputy prime minister and leader of Forza Italia party, one of the coalition parties. Meloni, who took office in October 2022 at the head of a right-wing coalition, remains popular. A poll from SWG institute on Tuesday put her Brothers of Italy party at just above 30%, up from the 26% it won in a 2022 national election, while the main opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) was on 23%. "This was an attempt to deal a blow (to the government) and it seems to me that it has failed. I think there was hope among the promoters of a stronger anti-Meloni mobilisation," said Lorenzo Pregliasco, from YouTrend polling agency. YouTrend figures showed an average 12.9 million electors voted 'Yes' on the labour questions - slightly more than those who backed the centre-right coalition in 2022 - which the opposition hailed as the first building block of an alternative. Italy's next national election is not scheduled until 2027. DIVISION ON CITIZENSHIP RULES Tallies showed differences in voting between the labour-related measures and the question about easing citizenship rules, which was far more contentious given Meloni's hard line against mass migration. More than 85% of those who took part in the two-day vote backed stronger protection for workers but roughly a third opposed speeding up the procedures for gaining citizenship, indicating divisions also among progressive voters on the issue. "There is a part of the more moderate left-wing electorate that does not share the (progressive) parties' positions on migrants. They are not against them, but they want laws that can limit entry and citizenship," said polling expert Antonio Noto. Noto added that the data suggested some of Italy's right-leaning voters had defied calls from their parties' leaders to boycott the referendum and had likely helped boost the "No" vote on citizenship. Pollsters say the wealthy centres of cities including Milan and Turin strongly backed reforming the citizenship rules, while the number decreased in the suburbs, indicating that lower-income voters are more conservative on the issue. The failure of the referendum has dealt a major setback for groups fighting for the integration of migrants. Promoters complained of confusion and overlap with other issues, including the management of migratory flows and illegal arrivals. "The lack of information and misinformation on the citizenship question certainly affected the result, in terms of abstentions and votes against," said Anna Lisa Mandorino, who heads civil rights group Cittadinanzattiva. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
DW
a day ago
- Politics
- DW
Italy: Low turnout sinks citizenship, labor referendums – DW – 06/09/2025
Low voter turnout in Italy appears to have sunk reform referenda brought to ballot by center-left opposition groups and labor organizations. The result is a victory for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who rejected them. Italian citizenship and labor reform referendums look likely to fail due to low voter turnout. As two-day voting wound down in Europe's fourth-largest economy only about 30% of Italy's 51 million eligible voters had turned out to cast ballots in five referendums championed by center-left opposition groups as well as the country's labor unions. Referendums require 50% plus one voter participation to be legally binding in Italy. The result is seen as a major victory for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who vehemently opposed the measures. Meloni arrived at a Rome polling station on Sunday — when turnout was 22% — to declare that she would not cast a vote. Meloni then once-again encouraged her supporters to likewise boycott the ballot. Poll observers said voter participation numbers were well 'below the expectations and targets set by the promoters' Image: Matteo Minnella/REUTERS What were Italy's referendums about? Four of the referendums centered on workplace protections including better protections against firing, increased severance pay, unemployment benefits, the end of fixed-term contracts and better workplace accident compensation. A fifth referendum addressed whether voters wanted to ease citizenship laws in the country, allowing non-EU immigrants to apply for Italian passports after five rather than the current 10 years. At the moment, the rule would apply to roughly 2.5 million non-EU immigrants. Arguments for easing citizenship requirements were driven by the demographic fact of Italy's dwindling birth rates and calls for better integrating foreign workers in an effort to boost the country's economy. Data compiled by the polling organization YouTrend said voter turnout was higher in the country's industrialized north than the agricultural south, as well in cities and in areas where left-leaning parties preformed best in Italy's most recent general and EU elections. "The opposition wanted to turn this into a referendum on the Meloni government," said Cabinet undersecretary and Meloni ally Giovanbattista Fazzolari. "The response is very clear: The government emerges from this stronger and the opposition weaker." Speaking of the vote's failure, YouTrend's Lorenzo Pregliasco said, "Whether just above 30% or just below, this is a low figure… below the expectations and targets set by the promoters." Edited by: Zac Crellin
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Referendum in Italy to fail as turnout far below threshold, poll shows
A referendum in Italy on citizenship requirements and job protection is likely to have failed, as turnout was far below the required threshold, polling agency YouTrend said on Monday. Turnout needed to be at least 50% plus one vote to make the referendum results binding, but based on data collected from 60,000 polling stations, turnout was around 30%. The referendum, proposed by trade unions and civic organisations, addresses issues that have generated political debate in Italy in recent years, particularly labour market reform, primarily the 2016 Labour Act, as well as migrant reception and integration policies. The first four questions relate to labour issues and concern the increasing protection of workers, small enterprises and their obligations towards employees, short-term contracts, and the responsibility of clients towards subcontracting parties and employees' safety. The fifth question concerns the period of time necessary for non-EU nationals residing in the country to be eligible for Italian citizenship, proposing to reduce it from 10 to five years. The parties of the ruling coalition, led by Premier Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, opposed the referendum, with some politicians urging citizens not to participate in the vote. According to the advocacy group International Democracy Community, although opposition parties have supported the referendum, it is primarily a citizens' initiative and not a political matter. "The referendum questions were proposed through a bottom-up approach, and did not come from parliament," the International Democracy Community said in a statement. "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 Labour Act ones, with support from the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, and the Green and Left Alliance." According to exit data after polls closed at 3 pm, the "yes" vote for the four labour law questions stood at around 85%, while 60% of voters said yes to the citizenship question. The referendum coincided with local elections in several Italian regions and municipalities.
