It's time to take stock of this year's referendum, which saw a turnout of 7,3% at 12pm, a full 4 percentage points less than in 2011, when it reached 11,4%.
A fact that confirms the growing disaffection of Italians towards this instrument of direct democracy, at least for popular initiative questions.
Themes of the Referendum
Yet the issues at stake touch on concrete and delicate questions: from Italian citizenship to workers' rights, through the rules on dismissals and safety on construction sites.
The question of citizenship has been much discussed. It concerns the granting of Italian citizenship to non-EU foreign adults. The referendum proposes to halve the period of legal residence required to apply for citizenship from 10 to 5 years. A change that, if approved, would speed up the formal inclusion of approximately 2,3 million people who currently live, work and contribute to Italian society, but who remain excluded from full civic participation. The issue has sparked political debate, divided between those who maintain that it is a necessary step towards a more inclusive society and those who, instead, fear possible destabilizing effects on the social and cultural level.
The other questions
The others are four questions about work. Here's what they're about:
1. Contract with increasing protections.
2. Layoffs in small businesses.
3. Fixed-term contracts.
4. Responsibility in procurement:
It remains to be seen whether the quorum of 50% + 1 of those entitled to vote will be reached. Popular participation is the heart of direct democracy, but perhaps we need to rethink the methods and opportunities to make it effective and engaging again.
Main photo: Anci
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