Italy’s Citizenship Vote Fails, Sparks Political Backlash

(MENAFN) Italy’s recent referendum aimed at loosening citizenship rules for foreigners failed to reach the mandatory voter turnout threshold and garnered substantially less support than other measures on the same ballot, signaling a strong political stance on immigration, initial figures revealed Monday.

Early data from roughly 50,000 polling stations over Sunday and Monday show that just above 60% of voters favored shortening the residency requirement for foreigners seeking Italian citizenship from 10 to 5 years, according to a local newspaper.

Yet, this approval rate trails by more than 20 percentage points compared to the average 88% support recorded for four related referendums addressing labor laws.

Opposition to the citizenship measure appeared notably fierce, especially in specific regions.
While major cities like Milan, Turin, and Naples saw Yes votes surpassing 70%, areas such as the South Tyrol valleys witnessed a decisive lead for the No campaign.

Overall turnout across the referendums remained far below the quorum needed, rendering the votes invalid. Even before polls closed, right-wing leaders claimed political triumph, interpreting the low turnout and regional resistance as a firm rejection of the citizenship reform.

"The left has been defeated. Citizenship is not a gift," League party leader Matteo Salvini stated Monday.

According to preliminary, unofficial figures from an Italian broadcaster, voter participation in the referendum hit just 30.5%.

As a result, despite Yes majorities in various sections of the referendum’s five questions, the entire vote was invalidated since it failed to surpass the required 50%+1 turnout threshold to be legally binding.

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