Voter turnout for Italy’s recent referendum was disappointing, with some regions like Sicily and Calabria seeing participation as low as 22%. The referendum aimed to change citizenship laws, but many felt it was unlikely to succeed from the start. The government, led by hard-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, largely ignored the referendum and even discouraged people from voting.
Lorenzo Pregliasco, who runs the polling firm YouTrend, noted that the turnout was below the expectations of those who supported the changes. He commented that whether turnout was just above or below 30%, it was still a low figure. Meloni had previously declared the existing citizenship law as "excellent" and chose to boycott the vote herself, even visiting a polling station without casting a ballot.
Activists had pushed for a reduction in the waiting period for citizenship applications from ten years to five, arguing that this would align Italy with many other European countries. However, after the polls closed, Meloni’s party, Brothers of Italy, celebrated the outcome with a social media post that dismissed opposition leaders.
Pina Picierno from the opposition Democratic Party called the referendum’s failure a significant setback for those who wanted change, labeling it a "huge gift" to Meloni and her government. The referendum required at least half of eligible voters to participate to be valid, and there are now discussions about raising the number of signatures needed to call a referendum in the future.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed frustration over the resources spent on the referendum, noting that many ballots sent to Italians living abroad were wasted. Historically, only about half of Italy’s referendums since World War II have met the necessary voting threshold. The first referendum in 1946 saw a high turnout, with 89% of voters choosing to replace the monarchy with a republic. In recent years, successful referendums have included those on abortion and divorce, with the last one to meet the threshold occurring in 2011 regarding water service privatization.