Italy at the Ballot: The Quiet Referendum

The referendum nobody is talking about

In early June 2025, Italy turned to the ballot box in a political test, at a time when the state is asking its core, its citizens, to provide answers to questions that touch on the core of their social identity and labour rights. However, the referendum on 8 and 9 June took place in relative silence, with Giorgia Meloni’s government remaining tight-lipped (4)

The referendum consisted of a list of questions to be addressed, with four questions relating to labour and one on citizenship. These issues brought to the fore key issues that touched on the sensitivities of Italian society, such as who is entitled to be Italian and what are the limits of employer power. More specifically, the issue of reducing the number of years of residence from 10 to 5 for the granting of citizenship to non-European residents was raised, bringing to the fore social groups such as immigrants and second generations living in the country (6)

The silence surrounding this referendum was the result of a pre-announced strategy of reducing visibility, with no campaigns, public appeals or other calls to the public. The message, although indirect, was clear: abstention. According to Professor Roberto D’Alimonte at LUISS, the low turnout of less than 50+1% was also intended to invalidate the result (4).

By 11 p.m. on 8 June, turnout was at a historic low of 22.7%. In Alto Adige, it barely reached 10%, while Tuscany led with almost 30%. The low public visibility of the referendum on issues such as who is considered a citizen and whether workers can be fired by text message risks going unnoticed (13).

In a related article by Valigia Blu, the abrogative referendums referendums (referendum abrogativo) are among the most important democratic and political achievements of Italian society, having led to historic revisions such as the abolition of the monarchy and the protection of the right to divorce. Of course, in recent years, this tool of social reform has been hampered by electoral percentages and indifference towards political participation (12)

Meloni had previously announced that she would not vote, that she would go to the polls without receiving a ballot paper, thus engaging in an institutional boycott under the pretext of individual choice. The stakes are high, and the government’s position is clear in a situation of indirect control over the citizenship- or not-of 1.4 million people living in Italy (2);(11); (10).

Identity, Integration and the New Italy

How is citizenship defined in an era of migration flows, ethnocultural complexity and an ageing population? (Mackay, 2025). The proposal to reduce the number of years of legal residence required to obtain citizenship from 10 to 5 is fully in line with European practices. In France and Germany, 5 years are required, as is the case in Belgium. Italy, despite granting hundreds of thousands of citizenships annually, maintains a slow-moving bureaucratic mechanism that delays the process for 2-3 years even when all criteria are met (2).

The demographic argument in favour of a more inclusive policy has been clearly stated by economists and think tanks, arguing that a lack of integration of existing immigrants will lead to difficulties in social and economic development (Reuters, 2025, June 9). Organisations such as Oxfam Italia and ActionAid, political groups such as +Europa and the Partito Socialista Italiano, have been vocal advocates for a positive outcome to this referendum, recognising citizenship as a tool a stage of integration for thousands of people and children who share Italian culture but remain foreigners on paper (8).

The government’s stance of boycotting the referendum, treating it as something secondary and unnecessary, is not only a point that deviates from the government’s ideological spectrum, but could also redefine not only who can be Italian, but also who has rights and therefore articulates politically (10); (7).

The Battle for Labour Rights

Meanwhile, the referendum focused on the labour landscape in a country undergoing economic austerity and political reforms, with four out of five questions relating to this issue. The questions were essentially aimed at repealing provisions that had been passed mainly by the governments of Matteo Renzi and Mario Draghi – provisions that were unfavourable to workers, giving excessive powers to employers, making it easier to dismiss workers, allowing for ” parallel contracts‘ and the relativity of liability for accidents at work. The so-called ’Jobs Act‘ and in particular the introduction of the ’contratto a tutele crescenti” through Legislative Decree 23/2015, promoted flexibility as synonymous with growth, but in practice led many workers into uncertainty with temporary jobs and low-paid positions (3); (4).

On the initiative of the CGIL trade union, a petition was launched to restore basic labour principles in order to halt the ‘deregulation’ brought about by these provisions, with the focus on the right to reinstatement in cases of unfair dismissal. Proponents of the repeal called for a new balance between flexibility and security, between economic efficiency and human dignity (6); (4); (10).

Democratia condicionalis

The Meloni government’s treatment of citizens was more in line with a broader climate of disregard for their constitutional rights, not through prohibition but through disparagement of the issue and the process, in an attempt to prevent any participation that would create a fait accompli outside the dominant ideological line. The referendum on citizenship and labour rights thus became a test of loyalty, not to the institutions, but to the government itself. Those who dared to participate were labelled as troublemakers of a ‘convenient’ status quo.

Italy seems to maintain one of the most bureaucratic paths to citizenship in Europe, while the government itself defends the system as ‘open’ and ‘fair’, positions that are inconsistent with the fact that thousands of people have been waiting for years to be granted citizenship (2). In common parlance, as much as the outcome, the government’s institutional approach to the process are indicative of democratic cachexia, where silent acquiescence is preferred over dialogue, turning into a norm the passive acceptance of authority, where substantial democratic engagement is undermined and devalued.

Despite the clear vote in favour of the referendums by the majority who voted ‘yes’ reaching 85%-88% on labour issues and 62% on the proposal to reduce the number of years required to obtain citizenship, the result was ultimately deemed invalid due to turnout below 30%, far short of the required threshold of 50%+1. The government of Giorgia Meloni chose to interpret the abstention as a victory, stating that “the only real goal of this referendum was to bring down the government. In the end, however, the Italians voted in favour of bringing down the opposition” (5) This stance constitutes the instrumentalisation of a constitutional mechanism for communication purposes and reflects an attempt to discredit popular participation through deliberate institutional silence and disparagement. The rhetoric of victory for a process that was deemed invalid is not only a political manoeuvre, but also a clear confirmation of the democratic malaise that has taken hold in modern Italy, with the right to vote becoming a test of party loyalty rather than a tool for political expression (4); (6); (2); (11).

References:

1. Corriere della Sera. (2025, June 8). Referendum: affluenza bassa, verso il flop. Meloni: Non ritiro la scheda. https://www.corriere.it/politica/25_giugno_02/meloni-ai-referendum-vado-al-seggio-ma-non-ritiro-le-schede-b8015506-c6f8-44de-8a1f-598c42195xlk.shtml
2. Di Donfrancesco, M. (2024, September 24). Italy opens way for referendum on easing citizenship rules. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-opens-way-referendum-easing-citizenship-rules-2024-09-24/
3. Il Manifesto. (2025, June). Jobs Act e diritti cancellati: cosa dicono i quesiti referendari. https://ilmanifesto.it/sei-quesiti-dal-jobs-act-alla-cittadinanza-in-arrivo-una-primavera-referendaria
4. Kazmin, A. (2025, June 8). Italy holds low-key referendums on citizenship and labour rights. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/434eadd2-21bc-4ca2-9b04-a246fc229d6b
5. LiFO Newsroom. (2025, June 9). Ιταλία: Άκυρα τα δημοψηφίσματα για εργασιακά και υπηκοότητα – Κάτω από 30% η συμμετοχή. LiFO.gr. https://www.lifo.gr/now/world/italia-akyra-ta-dimopsifismata-gia-ergasiaka-kai-ypikootita
6. Mackay, J. (2025, June 5). Italy’s citizenship referendum could make the country fairer. It’s a miracle it’s happening at all. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/05/italy-citizenship-referendum-government-italians
7. Pagella Politica. (2025, June). Referendum: le posizioni dei partiti e cosa succede se non si raggiunge il quorum. https://pagellapolitica.it/articoli/referendum-giugno-cittadinanza-lavoro-posizioni-partiti
8. Reuters. (2025, June 9). Low turnout set to thwart moves to ease Italian citizenship rules. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/low-turnout-set-thwart-moves-ease-italian-citizenship-rules-2025-06-09
9. Reuters. (2025, June 10). Italy’s referendum flop bolsters Meloni, reveals divide on left over citizenship. https://www.reuters.com/world/italys-referendum-flop-bolsters-meloni-reveals-divide-left-over-citizenship-2025-06-10/
10. Sloboden Pechat. (2025, June 8). Meloni calls on Italians to boycott citizenship referendum. https://www.slobodenpecat.mk/en/meloni-gi-povika-italijancite-da-go-bojkotiraat-referendumot-za-steknuvanje-drzhavjanstvo/
11. Tortorelli, G. (2025, June 10). Affluenza e percentuali del sì regione per regione: ecco tutti i risultati dei referendum di 8 e 9 giugno. L’Espresso. https://lespresso.it/c/politica/2025/6/10/affluenza-referendum-regioni-risultati/54863
12. Tiberio, L. (2025, June 6). Perché il referendum sulla cittadinanza è importante. Valigia Blu. https://www.valigiablu.it/referendum-cittadinanza-quesiti-cosa-cambia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
13. Zampano, G. (2025, June 9). Italy’s referendum on citizenship and job protections fails because of low turnout. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/italy-referendum-vote-citizenship-labor-law-meloni-government-opposition-d2c2b8ccfa96d27ab759cce2b4d72389