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Citizenship referendum polarizes society in Italy

Politiko 2025-06-08 14:38:51

Citizenship referendum polarizes society in Italy

Italians will vote for two days – starting Sunday – in referendums that would make it easier for children born in Italy to foreign parents to obtain citizenship, and would offer more protection in the workplace.

However, it seems that low public awareness risks failing this process if turnout is not sufficient.

Voices calling for changes to the citizenship law believe they will help second-generation Italians – whose parents do not have passports from European Union countries – to better integrate into the culture they consider their own.

Italian singer Ghali, who was born in Milan but has Tunisian parents, has called on people to vote, stressing that the referendum risks failing if at least 50 percent, plus one resident with the right to vote, do not participate in the process.

"I was born here, I have always lived here, but I only received citizenship when I turned 18," said Ghali, calling for a vote to reduce the legal deadline to apply for citizenship from 10 years to five.

The new rules, if approved, will affect the status of 2.5 million foreigners who are not yet recognized as citizens.

These proposals have been made by Italy's main trade union and left-wing opposition parties.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said she will go to the polls but not vote - a move that has been described by the left as undemocratic, as it will not help achieve the necessary percentage for the referendum to be considered valid.

Supporters believe this reform would align Italian citizenship law with the laws of most European Union countries, promoting greater integration for residents with permanent residence permits.

Thus, these individuals would be offered easier access to civil and political rights, such as the right to vote, the right to employment in public institutions, and the freedom to move within the EU./REL

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