Today from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and tomorrow until 3 p.m. (local time), 51,303,216 Italian citizens will head to the polls to vote on five referendum questions.
Four of these referendums focus on labor legislation, while the fifth pertains to the timeframe for non-EU citizens residing in Italy to apply for citizenship.
Specifically, the first referendum seeks to repeal a law that permits employers to avoid re-hiring a dismissed employee without just cause, allowing only for financial compensation instead.
The second referendum aims to overturn a law that limits compensation to six months’ salary in cases of unjust dismissal in companies with fewer than fifteen employees.
The third referendum calls for a clearer definition of responsibilities and roles for employees on fixed-term contracts of up to twelve months, while the fourth addresses the accountability of companies that outsource work in the event of industrial accidents.
Lastly, the fifth referendum asks citizens if they support reducing the minimum duration for immigrants working in Italy to apply for citizenship from ten years to five.
Among the ruling coalition, both the Brothers of Italy and the League, along with Forza Italia, have advocated for abstention. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stated she will visit her polling place in Rome but will refrain from casting her vote.
The three main opposition parties—the Democratic Party, Five Star Movement, and the Italian Left with the Ecologists—are advocating for a “yes” vote on all labor-related referendums. Regarding citizenship, the Democratic Party and the Italian Left alliance are supportive, while the Five Star Movement allows its voters to decide based on personal conscience.
Analysts suggest that achieving a turnout of over 50% of eligible voters, the threshold for a valid referendum result, will be very challenging. This turnout percentage has only been surpassed once in the last 25 years, during a 2011 referendum on the public nature of water services, opposition to nuclear development, and mandatory attendance of government officials in court.
The current summer weather is unlikely to encourage high participation rates. The center-left opposition aims for a target of over 12.5 million voters—matching the number of votes received by conservative parties in the 2022 parliamentary elections. However, aides to the Prime Minister have suggested that the turnout for these referendums should not be directly compared to parliamentary election engagement.
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