Polls opened in Italy on Sunday, in a two-day voting session for a referendum that could change citizenship law and labor laws.
According to Italy’s constitution, a referendum can be called if a petition is signed by at least 500,000 voters.
Over 51 million Italians are eligible to participate in the vote, but the results are only binding with a 50% turnout.
Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law say it will help second-generation Italians born in the country to non-EU parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs.
They say this reform would bring Italy’s citizenship law in line with many other European countries, including Germany, adding that it would benefit around 2.5 million people.
In Italy, polls for a two-day referendum that could alter labor and citizenship laws opened on Sunday.
A grassroots campaign spearheaded by an NGO sparked the vote. A referendum may be called in Italy in accordance with the constitution if 500,000 or more people sign a petition.
Results are anticipated on Monday at 3 p.m., following polling. M. time zone (2 p.m. UTC). More than 51 million Italians can cast ballots, but only a 50% turnout will make the results legally binding.
The results of many of the 78 referendums that Italy has held were not implemented because the turnout was not greater than fifty percent.
Italians are voting to loosen citizenship regulations.
A number of labor law-related questions are on the ballot, but the one that has drawn the most attention is immigration policy, which is a contentious topic in Italy.
Italians will be questioned about whether they are in favor of shortening the application period so that children born to foreigners in Italy can more easily become citizens.
At the moment, a non-EU adult resident who is not married or has no family ties to Italy must reside there for ten years before they are eligible to apply for citizenship. Reducing that to five years is what the referendum requests.
It will help second-generation Italians born in the country to non-EU parents better integrate into a culture they already perceive as their own, according to proponents of the citizenship law change.
They claim that this reform would benefit about 2.5 million people and align Italy’s citizenship law with that of many other European nations, including Germany.
Voters in Italy will also decide whether they support the conversion of fixed-term contracts into permanent ones, access to higher severance payments, protections against termination, and liability in the event of workplace accidents.
The government of Meloni calls for abstention.
Opposition to the current government in Italy, including the center-left Democratic Party, is supporting the referendum and urging voters to approve the measures.
However, the ruling right-wing coalition in Rome, which is headed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is telling its followers and the general public not to cast ballots in the hopes that the vote will fall short of the 50 percent mark.
The left strongly criticized Meloni’s decision to go to the polls but not cast a ballot, calling it antidemocratic.
According to surveys conducted last month, only 46% of Italians knew what the referendums were about. A turnout of about 35% is anticipated, far below the threshold needed for the reforms to be approved.
The citizenship initiative is not supported by Meloni. Her far-right Brothers of Italy party has worked to increase the number of legal work visas for migrants while simultaneously attempting to reduce illegal immigration.
The current system, she said, is “one of the best laws, among the most open, in the sense that we have been among the European nations that grant the highest number of citizenships each year for years.”. “..”.
Roshni Majumdar served as editor.
