Italy’s referendums on citizenship and labour fail due to low turnout

Italian efforts to ease citizenship laws and tighten labor protections failed on Monday after low voter turnout rendered the referendums invalid, marking a political win for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and a blow to the centre-left opposition.

Italy’s referendum proposals aimed at easing the path to citizenship and reversing past labor market reforms failed to pass on Monday after turnout fell well short of the legal threshold, according to polling agency YouTrend.

Official figures from roughly half of polling stations showed that under 30% of eligible voters participated—far below the 50% plus one required for the results to be legally binding.

The failed referendums were backed by a coalition of centre-left opposition parties, civil society groups, and the CGIL trade union. They framed the vote as an opportunity to address Italy’s demographic crisis and protect workers’ rights.

One of the five questions on the ballot sought to reduce the residency requirement for naturalization from 10 to five years, potentially impacting around 2.5 million foreign residents. The other four focused on undoing liberal labor policies from the past decade and expanding company liability for workplace accidents involving contractors and subcontractors.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who opposed the referendums, urged her supporters to abstain from voting. She visited a polling station in Rome on Sunday but refrained from casting her ballot, a symbolic move that echoed her boycott strategy.

“The opposition wanted to turn the referendum into a vote on the Meloni government. The response is very clear: the government emerges from this stronger and the opposition is weaker,” said Giovanbattista Fazzolari, a senior government official and close aide to Meloni.

YouTrend noted that turnout was higher in wealthier northern and central regions and in urban centers, where left-leaning parties traditionally perform better. Participation was notably lower in southern Italy, reflecting a broader regional divide in political engagement.

Rights advocates had hoped for a stronger showing, arguing that the referendums offered a path to greater social inclusion and workplace justice. However, the results reaffirm Meloni’s dominant political position and underscore the centre-left’s continuing struggle to rally widespread support.

Copied