You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Italian. (July 2020)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Do you approve the text of the Constitutional Law entitled 'Amendments to articles 56, 57 and 59 of the Constitution concerning the reduction of the number of parliamentarians' approved by Parliament and published in the Official Gazette no. 240 of 12 October 2019? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Results by region |
A constitutional referendum about the reduction of the size of the Italian Parliament was held in Italy on 20 and 21 September 2020. [1] Initially scheduled to be held on 29 March, the referendum was postponed following the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Italy and subsequent lockdown. [2] [3] [4]
Voters were asked whether they approved a constitutional law that would amend the Italian Constitution in various aspects, most notably by reducing the number of MPs in the Parliament from 630 to 400 in the Chamber of Deputies and from 315 to 200 in the Senate. [5] The proposed changes were approved, with 69.96% voting in favour. The reduction in the number of MPs happened at the 2022 Italian general election on 25 September 2022.
This was the second time in Italian history a constitutional referendum was successful, with the 2001 referendum being the first. [6] Two previous constitutional reforms had been rejected by referendums in 2006 and 2016. [7]
In 2016, the Democratic-led (PD) coalition government proposed a series of constitutional reforms with the aim of reducing the total number of parliamentarians, simplifying the legislative process, limiting the operating costs of the institutions, the disestablishment of the National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL), and removing the perfect bicameralism in particular by greatly reducing the size and scope of the Senate. [8] The proposal was rejected by 59% of voters through a constitutional referendum, prompting the resignation of the Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi.
In 2019, the PD-Five Star Movement (M5S) coalition government proposed new constitutional reforms which simply called for the reduction of the number of parliamentarians by a third; the bill was approved with the support of all the major political parties on 8 October 2019. [8] The proposal was one of the Five Star Movement's main campaign promises during the 2018 general election, aimed at reducing the costs of politics and slashing privileges for lawmakers. The total reduction in costs was estimated at between 285 and 500 million euros per five-year parliamentary term. [8] The reform was also part of the coalition deal between the PD and M5S. [9] However, critics argued that the savings would be far too small to warrant a reduction in the number of lawmakers, which they believed would decrease democratic representation by lowering the number of lawmakers per 100,000 inhabitants to 1.6 from 1. In comparison, Germany had 0.9:1 ratio, France had a 1.4:1 ratio, and the United Kingdom had a 2.1:1 ratio. [8]
On 10 January 2020, 71 Senators requested a referendum on the reform proposal. Under Article 138 of the Constitution, such request was binding.
The proposed constitutional law would amend Article 56 of the Constitution by reducing the number of deputies from 630, twelve of which are elected in the overseas constituencies, to 400, with eight to be elected in the overseas constituencies. [10] According to Paragraph 3 of the Article, the subdivision of seats among the electoral districts is obtained by dividing the number of inhabitants of the country – given by the latest general census of the population – by a factor of 392 (also changed by the new law from the previous factor of 618) and distributing the seats in proportion to the population in each electoral district, on the basis of whole shares and the highest remainders. The number of seats assigned to the overseas constituencies forms an exception to this rule. [11]
The new law would also amend Article 57 of the Constitution by reducing the number of senators from 315, six of which are elected in the overseas constituencies, to 200, with four to be elected in the overseas constituencies. [10] The senators are elected on a regional basis and no region or autonomous province would have fewer than 3 (down from 7) senators, with the exception of Molise and Aosta Valley, which will respectively have two and one senators. Paragraph 4 would also be changed, to state that the subdivision of seats among the regions and autonomous provinces – in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph – is made in proportion to their population given by the latest general census of the population, on the basis of whole shares and the highest remainders. [10]
Article 59 of the Constitution would be changed by limiting the total number of incumbent life senators who can be appointed by the President of Italy to five. Previously, the provision governing the number of life senators was ambiguous, and had been interpreted as allowing each president to appoint five each, cumulating to a total above five. [10]
The changes to Articles 56 and 57 were to take effect after either the end of the incumbent legislature, or at the next dissolution of Parliament, and not earlier than 60 days after the promulgation of the constitutional law. [10]
The proposed changes to the constitution would reduce the number of seats per electoral district for both chambers of Parliament and thus increase the number of votes required to win a seat. Consequently, they were opposed by most minor parties, with the exception of those who could count on a small but solid electoral base, such as the regional South Tyrolean People's Party, which would see their influence in Parliament increase. [11] [10] [12]
Choice | Campaign | Slogan | Spokesperson | Website |
---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | YES of the Liberties! | Il sì delle Libertà | Silvia Ferrara and Pietro Paganini | www.ilsidelleliberta.it Archived 4 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine |
No | NOstra! | NOstra! | Jacopo Ricci | www.comitatonostra.it |
We NO! | Noi NO | Andrea Pruiti Ciarello | noino.eu | |
Democrats for the No | Democratici per il No | Giovanni Lattanzi | democraticiperilno.it Archived 3 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine | |
Solidary Network in defense of the Constitution | Rete Solidale in difesa della Costituzione | Marina Calamo Specchia | — | |
Popular Committee for the No to the parliamentarians cut | Comitato popolare per il No al taglio dei parlamentari | Piero Pirovano | iovotono.eu Archived 13 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine | |
3 Reasons for the No | 3 motivi per il No | Stefano D'Andrea | 3-motivi-per-il-no0.webnode.it | |
Committee for the NO on changes to the Constitution to reduce the number of parliamentarians | Comitato per il NO sulle modifiche alla Costituzione per la riduzione del numero dei Parlamentari | Massimo Villone | coordinamentodemocraziacostituzionale.it noaltagliodelparlamento.it | |
Committee for the NO to the Counter-reform | Comitato per il No alla Controriforma | Massimiliano Iervolino | radicali.it/campagne/no-alla-controriforma/ Archived 11 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine | |
LET'S START WITH NO — Committee for the NO to the referendum on the cut of parliamentarians | COMINCIAMO DAL NO — Comitato per il NO al referendum sul taglio dei parlamentari | Simona Viola | piueuropa.eu/2020/02/22/comitatodelno/ |
Date | Polling Firm | Sample size | Total | Considering only Yes/No vote | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | No | None / Don't know | Lead | Yes | No | Lead | |||
2–4 Sep 2020 | SWG | 1,000 | 70.0 | 30.0 | — | 40.0 | 70.0 | 30.0 | 40.0 |
1–3 Sep 2020 | Ixè | 1,000 | 51.3 | 17.9 | 30.8 | 33.4 | 74.1 | 25.9 | 48.2 |
1–3 Sep 2020 | Ipsos | 1,000 | 58.9 | 24.1 | 17.0 | 34.8 | 71.0 | 29.0 | 42.0 |
31 Aug 2020 | Euromedia | — | 42.0 | 15.8 | 42.2 | 24.2 | 72.7 | 27.3 | 45.4 |
23–27 Aug 2020 | BiDiMedia | 1,661 | 71.0 | 29.0 | — | 42.0 | 71.0 | 29.0 | 42.0 |
24–26 Aug 2020 | Demos & Pi | 1,014 | 82.0 | 18.0 | — | 64.0 | 82.0 | 18.0 | 64.0 |
14–17 Aug 2020 | Lab2101 | 1,000 | 72.4 | 27.6 | — | 44.8 | 72.4 | 27.6 | 44.8 |
22–23 Jul 2020 | Ipsos | 1,000 | 49.0 | 8.0 | 43.0 | 41.0 | 86.0 | 14.0 | 72.0 |
23–25 Jun 2020 | Ipsos | 1,000 | 46.0 | 10.0 | 44.0 | 36.0 | 82.0 | 18.0 | 64.0 |
20–22 Feb 2020 | Piepoli | 503 | 81.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 72.0 | 90.0 | 10.0 | 80.0 |
13 Jan 2020 | Euromedia | 800 | 75.1 | 10.7 | 14.2 | 64.4 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 75.0 |
9–14 Dec 2019 | Demos&Pi | 1,212 | 86.0 | 12.0 | 2.0 | 74.0 | 86.0 | 14.0 | 72.0 |
8 Oct 2019 | The Parliament approves the constitutional reform bill | ||||||||
7–8 Oct 2019 | Demopolis | 1,500 | 80.0 | 12.0 | 8.0 | 68.0 | 87.0 | 13.0 | 74.0 |
The referendum resulted in a victory of the "Yes" with a majority of 70.0% of the vote. The voter turnout was 51.12%. The "Yes" was the winning choice by a large margin in all Italian regions. [47]
Luigi Di Maio, foreign minister and former leader of the M5S, defined the results "a historical result". The secretary of the PD, Nicola Zingaretti, said that "the victory of the 'Yes' opens up a season of reforms". Riccardo Molinari, party leader of the League in the Chamber of Deputies, asked for parliament to be dissolved and new elections to be held, in order to fulfill the objective of the constitutional law. [48]
Choice | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
Yes | 17,913,259 | 69.96 |
No | 7,691,837 | 30.04 |
Valid votes | 25,605,096 | 98.29 |
Invalid or blank votes | 445,131 | 1.71 |
Total votes | 26,050,227 | 100.00 |
Registered voters/turnout | 50,955,985 | 51.12 |
Source: Ministry of the Interior |
The "Yes" side was in the majority in every region and in all four overseas constituencies. Support was lowest in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, with 59.57% in favor. Molise was the region with the highest support, at 79.89%, though two of the overseas constituencies had higher support.
Region | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | No | Yes | No | |
Aosta Valley | 48,165 | 22,708 | 67.96 | 32.04 |
Piedmont | 1,172,338 | 541,183 | 68.42 | 31.58 |
Liguria | 430,354 | 255,804 | 63.78 | 36.22 |
Lombardy | 2,609,444 | 1,221,310 | 68.12 | 31.88 |
Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol | 390,490 | 160,389 | 70.88 | 29.12 |
Veneto | 1,553,218 | 934,313 | 62.44 | 37.56 |
Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 281,042 | 190,743 | 59.57 | 40.43 |
Emilia-Romagna | 1,273,585 | 557,716 | 69.55 | 30.45 |
Tuscany | 1,216,952 | 627,949 | 65.96 | 34.04 |
Marche | 533,479 | 237,569 | 69.19 | 30.81 |
Umbria | 221,989 | 101,062 | 68.72 | 31.28 |
Lazio | 1,307,304 | 677,693 | 65.86 | 34.14 |
Abruzzo | 384,500 | 136,885 | 73.75 | 26.25 |
Molise | 93,178 | 23,456 | 79.89 | 20.11 |
Campania | 2,087,311 | 609,290 | 77.41 | 22.59 |
Apulia | 1,477,164 | 486,614 | 75.22 | 24.78 |
Basilicata | 169,024 | 53,856 | 75.84 | 24.16 |
Calabria | 521,444 | 151,138 | 77.53 | 22.47 |
Sicily | 1,055,351 | 335,397 | 75.88 | 24.12 |
Sardinia | 322,200 | 159,843 | 66.84 | 33.16 |
Total | 17,168,532 | 7,484,918 | 69.64 | 30.36 |
Abroad constituency | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | No | Yes | No | |
North and Central Americas | 62,644 | 14,632 | 81.07 | 18.93 |
South America | 226,522 | 78,819 | 74.19 | 25.81 |
Europe | 422,616 | 105,168 | 80.07 | 19.93 |
Africa, Asia, Oceania, Antarctica | 32,775 | 8,470 | 79.46 | 20.54 |
Total | 744,557 | 207,089 | 78.24 | 21.76 |
Area | Time | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
20 Sep | 21 Sep | |||
12:00 | 19:00 | 23:00 | 15:00 | |
Nationwide | ||||
Italy | 12.25% | 29.70% | 39.38% | 53.84% |
Abruzzo | 10.61% | 27.31% | 36.47% | 50.79% |
Basilicata | 9.40% | 24.36% | 36.96% | 50.14% |
Calabria | 8.62% | 22.44% | 32.42% | 45.18% |
Campania | 12.46% | 29.36% | 42.78% | 61.04% |
Emilia-Romagna | 14.16% | 32.99% | 41.59% | 55.37% |
Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 12.40% | 28.31% | 36.34% | 50.22% |
Lazio | 10.87% | 25.25% | 33.06% | 45.65% |
Liguria | 15.43% | 35.47% | 44.04% | 59.15% |
Lombardy | 12.43% | 30.91% | 39.01% | 51.36% |
Marche | 14.90% | 36.65% | 47.56% | 66.38% |
Molise | 9.76% | 24.18% | 33.33% | 47.48% |
Piedmont | 12.02% | 30.69% | 38.81% | 51.56% |
Apulia | 13.22% | 30.28% | 43.74% | 61.91% |
Sardinia | 7.76% | 17.02% | 23.41% | 35.70% |
Sicily | 6.41% | 16.96% | 24.78% | 35.38% |
Tuscany | 15.44% | 38.17% | 48.29% | 65.88% |
Trentino-Alto Adige | 16.04% | 40.50% | 54.42% | 70.94% |
Umbria | 9.56% | 25.16% | 33.09% | 48.75% |
Aosta Valley | 18.24% | 44.35% | 56.37% | 72.44% |
Veneto | 16.31% | 39.27% | 51.04% | 67.54% |
Abroad | ||||
Abroad | — | — | — | 23.30% |
Africa, Asia, Oceania, Antarctica | — | — | — | 19.75% |
South America | — | — | — | 23.95% |
North and Central Americas | — | — | — | 22.49% |
Europe | — | — | — | 23.39% |
Source: Ministry of the Interior – Turnout Archived 22 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine |
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the bicameral Italian Parliament, the upper house being the Senate of the Republic. The two houses together form a perfect bicameral system, meaning they perform identical functions, but do so separately. The Chamber of Deputies has 400 seats, of which 392 are elected from Italian constituencies, and 8 from Italian citizens living abroad. Deputies are styled The Honourable and meet at Palazzo Montecitorio.
Sergio Mattarella is an Italian politician, statesman, jurist, academic, and lawyer who is currently serving as the 12th president of Italy since 2015. He is the longest-serving president in the history of the Italian Republic. Since Giorgio Napolitano's death in 2023, Mattarella has been the only living Italian president.
The Five Star Movement is a political party in Italy. Its leader and president is Giuseppe Conte, who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2018 until 2021. The party was founded on 4 October 2009 by Beppe Grillo, a political activist and comedian, and Gianroberto Casaleggio, a web strategist. It is primarily described as populist of the syncretic kind, due to its members' long-time insistence that it has no place in the left–right political spectrum. The party has been a proponent of green politics and direct democracy, and, since the party's crescent involvement in the centre-left coalition, progressivism, social democracy and left-wing populism.
The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017. Voters were electing the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 elective members of the Senate of the Republic for the 18th legislature of the Italian Republic since 1948. The election took place concurrently with the Lombard and Lazio regional elections. No party or coalition gained an absolute majority in the parliament, even though the centre-right coalition won a plurality of seats as a coalition, and the Five Star Movement (M5S) won a plurality of seats as an individual party.
Democratic Centre is a centrist, Christian leftist and social-liberal political party in Italy. Most of its members, including its leader Bruno Tabacci, are former Christian Democrats. Since its beginnings, the CD has been also part of the centre-left coalition, centred around the Democratic Party (PD).
A constitutional referendum was held in Italy on 4 December 2016. Voters were asked whether they approved a constitutional law that amends the Italian Constitution to reform the composition and powers of the Parliament of Italy, as well as the division of powers between the State, the regions, and administrative entities.
Io Voto No is an advocacy group in Italy that successfully campaigned to reject the constitutional reform, proposed by Matteo Renzi's government and approved by the Italian Parliament in the Spring of 2016, in the December 2016 constitutional referendum. The group's honorary president is Gustavo Zagrebelsky.
This page lists individuals and organisations who publicly expressed an opinion regarding the 2016 Italian constitutional referendum.
Article One, officially Article 1 – Democratic and Progressive Movement, was a social-democratic political party in Italy.
The 2022 Italian general election was a snap election held in Italy on 25 September 2022. After the fall of the Draghi government, which led to a parliamentary impasse, President Sergio Mattarella dissolved Parliament on 21 July, and called for new elections. Regional elections in Sicily were held on the same day. The results of the general election showed the centre-right coalition led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, a right-wing political party with neo-fascist roots, winning an absolute majority of seats in the Italian Parliament. Meloni was appointed Prime Minister of Italy on 22 October, becoming the first woman to hold the office.
Giuseppe Conte is an Italian jurist, academic, and politician who served as prime minister of Italy from June 2018 to February 2021. He has been the president of the Five Star Movement (M5S) since August 2021.
The 2019 European Parliament election in Italy were held on 26 May 2019, electing members of the 9th Italian delegation to the European Parliament as part of the European elections held across the European Union.
The 2019 Piedmontese regional election took place on 26 May 2019, the same day as the 2019 European Parliament election in Italy. The election was for all 50 members of the Regional Council of Piedmont, as well as for the president of Piedmont, who is also a member of the council.
The 2020 Italian by-elections were called to fill seats in the Parliament that became vacant after the 2018 general elections. In 2020, by-elections were held for the Chamber of Deputies the Senate of the Republic.
Feltri, Mattia. "Appello ai costituzionalisti". HuffPost Italia. This page lists individuals and organisations who publicly expressed an opinion regarding the 2020 Italian constitutional referendum.
Massimo Mallegni is an Italian politician. He is a senator of the Republic of Italy and is a member of the Legislature XVIII of Italy.
Volt Italy is an Eurofederalist political party in Italy. It is an affiliate of Volt Europa and was founded in 2018. Volt was unable to take part in the 2019 European Parliament election in Italy, failing to obtain the required 150,000 notarised supporter signatures. Since then, the party has contested municipal and regional elections, winning a number of mandates and providing a deputy mayor since October 2021.
Francesca Alderisi is an Italian politician and television presenter. Since 2018, she has been a Senator from Forza Italia representing North and Central America.
A five-part abrogative referendum was held in Italy on 12 June 2022. Voters were asked to decide on the repeal of five articles or decrees relating to the functions of the Italian judicial system. Each of the five questions were submitted by nine Italian regions, all governed by the centre-right coalition.
The Legislature XIX of Italian Republic is the current legislature of the Italian Parliament, which started on 13 October 2022.