 | This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Italian. (June 2017)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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| Lombard autonomy referendum, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location | Lombardy, Italy | |
| Date | 22 October | |
| Voting system | Simple majority | |
The Lombard autonomy referendum of 2017 took place on 22 October in Lombardy, Italy. [1]
Lombardy is one of the twenty administrative regions of Italy, in the northwest of the country, with an area of 23,844 square kilometres (9,206 sq mi). About 10 million people, forming one-sixth of Italy's population, live in Lombardy and about a fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in the region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest regions in Europe. Milan, Lombardy's capital, is the second-largest city and the largest metropolitan area in Italy.
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous country in Southern Europe.
The poll was not binding, but might have consequences in terms of negotiations between the Italian government and Lombardy, as the regional government will ask for more devolved powers since the "yes" won. [2] Also, neighbouring Veneto held a similar referendum on 22 October. [3] [4] Both President of Lombardy Roberto Maroni and President of Veneto Luca Zaia are members of Lega Nord (LN) and, more specifically, of Lega Lombarda and Liga Veneta, respectively. The LN is a strong proponent of federal reform, but in this case the referendums are also supported by the Five Star Movement. [5]
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories have the power to make legislation relevant to the area.
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fifth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice.
The Economist newspaper, which bet on the "yes" camp to prevail, also predicts that, due to the perceived "anti-southern skew" of the vote, the "national ambitions" of Matteo Salvini, LN federal secretary, will be negatively impacted by a resounding "yes" victory, while Zaia could become the "future leader of the party". [5]
The Economist is an English-language weekly magazine-format newspaper owned by the Economist Group and edited at offices in London. Continuous publication began under its founder James Wilson in September 1843. In 2015, its average weekly circulation was a little over 1.5 million, about half of which were sold in the United States. Pearson PLC held a 50% shareholding via The Financial Times Limited until August 2015. At that time, Pearson sold their share in the Economist. The Agnelli family's Exor paid £287m to raise their stake from 4.7% to 43.4% while the Economist paid £182m for the balance of 5.04m shares which will be distributed to current shareholders. Aside from the Agnelli family, smaller shareholders in the company include Cadbury, Rothschild (21%), Schroder, Layton and other family interests as well as a number of staff and former staff shareholders.
Matteo Salvini is an Italian politician serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of the Interior since 1 June 2018. He has also been Federal Secretary of Northern League since December 2013 and the leader of Us with Salvini since December 2014. He has been a Senator in the Italian Senate since March 2018. He previously served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the constituency of North-West Italy from 2004 to 2018.
