Italy’s latest referendums fell short of reaching the required turnout. Political scientist Giorgio Malet of the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich explains why Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s no show at the ballot box was hardly a surprise and what this says about the state of direct democracy in Italy. As has so often been the case in the past 30 years, Italy’s latest referendums flopped due to low turnout. Just 30% of eligible voters cast their ballots over the Pentecost weekend, well short of the 50% needed for the results to count. Many observers saw the failed quorum looming, but the opposition – a mix of trade unions and centre-left parties – still held out hope. For them, the referendums were a litmus test for Italy’s right-wing government. What did Italy vote on? Still, around 14 million Italians went to the polls over Pentecost to vote on five issues, four of which aimed at reversing parts of a 2010 labour market reform, while the fifth sought to reduce the ...
