Low turnout in Italian referendum on faster citizenship for foreigners

In Italy, not enough voters showed up for a referendum on whether foreigners should be able to obtain an Italian passport more quickly. As a result, the referendum will not be declared binding.

The turnout was 29 percent, well below the required minimum of 50 percent.

People who come to Italy from outside the European Union and have no family in the country must wait ten years before they can apply for Italian citizenship. If the referendum had received enough support, this would have been reduced to five years.

The referendum was initiated by a group of NGOs and left-wing parties. They collected more than 500,000 signatures, forcing the government to call the referendum.

This is an issue that divides the country. Prime Minister Meloni did not vote and urged her fellow citizens to do the same. Italians were also asked to give their opinion on four other less sensitive topics, including the labor market. Here too, too few voters turned out.

It is not yet known how the Italians who did vote have chosen.