Meloni’s coalition taunts left from the beach as low voter turnout scuppers referendum

Most Italians didn’t vote in a weekend referendum that would have made it easier for foreigners to gain citizenship, invalidating the plebiscite in what is effectively a victory for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

A majority of those who did participate backed the change, but referendums must draw at least 50 percent of registered voters under Italian law for their results to be valid. The June 8-9 ballot, which had also sought changes to rules on workers’ rights, saw a voter turnout of just 30.6 percent.

The result is a victory — albeit an unconventional one — for Meloni, president of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party, which opposed the ballot and tactically aimed to depress turnout. Meloni had said the previous week she would visit a polling station out of respect for the process, but would not cast a ballot because she didn’t want to contribute to achieving the quorum.

Defending Italy’s citizenship laws as “excellent and also very inclusive,” Meloni said on June 5 that she was “completely against” the proposed changes.

Italian public media and government politicians broadly ignored the referendum, with junior Meloni coalition member Forza Italia posting a picture on X of a swimming pool, sandals and sunglasses, saying “sorry if we didn’t post anything today, we were all at the beach.”

The public was asked to vote on five issues, four of which concerned labor rights and garnered more than 85 percent support.

The vote on the immigration question was closer, with around 65 percent of voters backing the change. It sought to reduce the amount of time non-Italians have to live in Italy before being able to apply for citizenship from 10 to five years.

The change, which would have affected some 2.5 million foreign nationals, was an attempt to relieve the country’s profound demographic problems. Italy has the oldest population in the EU (median age 48.4 years) and the smallest share of children under 15 (12.4 percent).

Maurizio Landini, general secretary of the Italian General Confederation of Labour union, said the low turnout was evidence of a “clear democratic crisis” in Italy, conceding: “We knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park.”

Elly Schlein, leader of the center-left opposition Democratic Party, slammed Meloni for not casting a ballot, calling it a “betrayal of the constitutional principles that establish voting as a civic duty.”

But Meloni’s party on Monday posted multiple messages on X taunting the leftists and labor groups that had supported the referendum.

“You lost,” one post read. “The only real goal of this referendum was to bring down the #MeloniGovernment. In the end, however, it was the Italians who brought you down.”

“Citizenship is not a gift,” another stated.