Referendum, the position of Fratelli d'Italia: calls for abstention for all 5 questions

On June 8 and 9, Italians will vote on five abrogative referendums , four promoted by the Cgil and one by +Europa, all declared admissible by the Constitutional Court. The issues range from citizenship to work. The questions aim to: cancel parts of the Jobs Act on dismissals and fixed-term contracts; eliminate the maximum cap on severance pay in small businesses; extend liability in cases of injury to the client in contracts; and reduce the residency requirement for obtaining Italian citizenship from 10 to 5 years.

The government majority recommends abstention , while the opposition forces are mostly in favor of a yes vote.

Brothers of Italy calls for abstention

The center-right has chosen to invite its voters to abstain . As reported by Repubblica, Fratelli d'Italia released an internal communication to parliamentarians last Sunday with the explicit title: "Referendum, we choose abstention ." The message claims that not going to the polls represents a form of dissent against an initiative considered biased and attributed to the left.

At the moment, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has not yet officially expressed her opinion on the referendums, but in the past she has expressed her opposition to the one on citizenship, stating on September 24 during a press briefing in New York that ten years “is a reasonable term”. The question in question proposes in fact to reduce from ten to five years the minimum period of residence in Italy required for a non-EU foreigner to be able to apply for Italian citizenship.

As regards those on work, she has never expressed herself publicly, even though on Friday 9 May she reached an agreement with the secretary of the Cgil and one of the promoters of the referendum Maurizio Landini to modify the subcontracting system and increase safety at work , which is precisely the theme of one of the referendum questions.

On behalf of Fratelli d'Italia, the party's organizational manager, Giovanni Donzelli, spoke in the debate:

“It's an internal count of the left, I think a bit too expensive because they make the Italians pay for it. It's about the various factions of the Democratic Party that on work, after having made the Jobs Act, are against the Jobs Act. And they are clashing on the backs of the Italians with a referendum. They could have held a party Congress. Will I participate? I don't think I'll go to vote, I've never participated in the Congresses of the left. While the left argues about what they have done, employment has increased thanks to the Meloni government, the real power of wages has also increased, compared to inflation”.

The decision of Fratelli d'Italia was also supported by other majority parties , such as Forza Italia and Lega.

How to vote in the referendum

The five referendum questions are abrogative: this means that a vote in favour (yes) requires the elimination of an existing law, while a vote against (no) implies its maintenance.

On June 8 and 9, all Italian citizens who have turned 18 will be able to vote, including those registered with AIRE and living abroad. For the first time, on an experimental basis, students, workers and people undergoing medical treatment who have been away from their municipality of residence for at least three months will also have access to vote. The five referendums will be considered valid only if the quorum is reached, that is, if at least 50% plus one of those entitled to vote go to vote.