A referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labor laws in Italy has failed due to low voter turnout. This was a victory for Giorgia Meloni, whose government called on people to boycott the vote.

Over 50% of voters had to participate in the two-day referendum, but by the time the polls closed today, just over 30% of those eligible to vote had done so.

The referendum, triggered by a citizens' campaign and backed by the center-left Democratic Party (PD), would have reduced the time needed to obtain citizenship.

Adult citizens of non-EU countries who have no marital or blood ties to Italy must live in the country for 10 years before they can apply, a process that can take years.

A victory in the referendum would have reduced this period to five years, bringing Italy into line with Germany and France, AFP reported.

But Prime Minister Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has made reducing illegal immigration a priority, despite her government increasing the number of work visas for migrants, said she was “absolutely against” the idea.

Many members of her right-wing coalition have called on people not to vote to prevent the threshold from being reached.

The ballot included one question on citizenship. 

The other four were on increasing protection for workers who are laid off, in precarious positions or have been involved in workplace accidents.

CGIL Secretary General Maurizio Landini described the low turnout as a sign of a “clear democratic crisis” in Italy.

Under its new leadership, the PD, which trails Meloni's Brothers of Italy party in opinion polls, sought to attract working-class voters by backing the referendum.

Giovannibattista Faccioli, Meloni's right-hand man, said the opposition “wants to turn this referendum into a referendum on Meloni's government.”

“The answer seems very clear: the government is coming out even stronger, and the left even weaker,” he said.

Even if it had been approved, the reform would not have affected a migration law that many consider unfair: according to it, children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot apply for citizenship until they turn 18. | BGNES