Italians head to polls in referendum on citizenship, labour

Rome: Italians headed to the polls Monday on the second and final day of referendums that would make it easier for children born in Italy to foreigners to obtain citizenship, and on providing more job protections.

But partial data showed a low turnout, well below the required 50 per cent plus one threshold, risking to invalidate the vote.

Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law say it will help second-generation Italians born in the country to non-European Union parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs.

Partial data from Italy’s Interior Ministry published at 2100 GMT on Sunday showed that national turnout stood at 22.7 per cent, just over half of the 41 per cent registered at the same time of the day in the latest comparable referendum held in 2011. The polling stations close later Monday at 1300 GMT.

The new rules, if passed, could affect about 2.5 million foreign nationals who still struggle to be recognised as citizens.

The measures were proposed by Italy’s main union and left-wing opposition parties. Premier Giorgia Meloni showed up at the polls on Sunday evening but didn’t cast a ballot — an action widely criticised by the left as antidemocratic, since it won’t contribute to reaching the necessary threshold to make the vote valid.

“While some members of her ruling coalition have openly called for abstention, Meloni has opted for a more subtle approach,“ said analyst Wolfango Piccoli of the Teneo consultancy based in London.