In Italy, citizenship referendum failure

A referendum on facilitating rules for acquiring citizenship and strengthening labour laws in Italy has failed due to low exits. This failure is a victory for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melon, whose government had called on people to boycott the referendum.

More than 50 per cent of voters were required to participate in the vote so that the two-day referendum would be considered valid, but after the polls closed Monday, it turned out that only over 30 per cent of voters had voted in the referendum.

The referendum proposal, supported by the centre-left Democratic Party, was intended to cut the time required for acquiring citizenship.

A adult resident who is not from the European Union, and who has no marriage or blood ties with Italy, currently has to live in this state for 10 years before he can apply for citizenship a process that could later last several more years.

A victory in this referendum would have cut that deadline to five years, putting Italy on a line with Germany and France.

But, Prime Minister Melon, whose party -- the Far-right Brothers of Italy -- prioritizes combating irregular immigration, even though its government has increased the number of immigrant work visas -- had said it was “absolly against” that idea.

Many members of its right coalition called on citizens not to vote, so that the threshold needed for the validity of the vote is not reached.

The ballot sheet included a question of citizenship. Four others involved increasing protection for laid-off workers, those in uncertain situations or involved in accidents at work.

The CGIL union general secretary, Maurizio Landini, condemned the low voter turnout and said it was an indication of a clear democratic “crisis” in Italy.

Under the new leadership, the Democratic Party, located behind Italy's Brothers, according to polls, had sought support for the referendum by the working class of society.

Giovannibattista Fazzolari, Melon's right-hand man, said the opposition “had wanted to turn this referendum into a referendum against the government of Melon”.

Even if it had passed, reform would not affect the migration law, which many consider unfair, which says that children born in Italy by parents from foreign countries cannot apply for citizenship until 18 years. / REL/ Periscopi/