Referendum, 7.4% turnout at 12pm

At 12:00 today, the turnout for the referendums was 7.4%. This was reported on the website of the Ministry of the Interior. This is a decrease compared to the 2011 abrogative referendum on water, when at the same time 11.6% had gone to the polls . The 2011 referendum was the last one in which voting took place in two days and, above all, it was the last one in which the quorum was reached, with approximately 57% of voters.

Polls opened this morning at 7 and will close at 23. While tomorrow, Monday 9 June, voting will be possible from 7 to 15. The count will follow. Five questions: four on work and one on citizenship.

Politicians at the vote

The secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein , voted in the referendum at the "Edmondo De Amicis" professional institute in via Galvani, in the Testaccio district of Rome. The Democratic leader, who did not make any statements to journalists to respect the electoral silence, greeted some supporters as she left the polling station.

Riccardo Magi , secretary of +Europa and promoter of the citizenship referendum, also voted this morning: "Today is a precious and vital day for democracy, the day in which citizens express their vote. Today, truly patriotic citizens go to vote because democracy is defended by making it live and practice it. We hope that they also teach a lesson to all those who instead invited them to do something else, not to deal with public affairs".

Nicola Fratoianni , secretary of Sinistra Italiana, also went to the polls. Fratoianni reported that in the polling station in Foligno where he went to vote for the referendum "the president of the polling station, it is not clear on the basis of what law, prohibited the entry of crews and photographers who nevertheless managed to exercise their right to report from outside the door". An episode defined as "surreal". "An unacceptable behavior on which Avs - we read in a note - will present a parliamentary question to Minister Piantedosi and on which we ask for immediate intervention by the prefect of Perugia".

The president of the 5 Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte , voted in the capital: "Here in Rome it's a beautiful day like in all of Italy. An excellent day to exercise one's political rights and the first is to vote on the occasion of political or administrative elections but also referendums. We have to choose, to take a stand and not let others decide for us".

Work and citizenship: what are we voting for?

As for the referendums on work, in detail Italians will have to choose between the following options.

1) "Employment contract with increasing protections - Regulation of unlawful dismissals: Repeal". This is a regulation introduced by the Jobs Act: in companies with more than 15 employees, an unlawfully dismissed worker is not entitled to reinstatement. With the repeal of this provision, reinstatement would be possible.

2) “Small Businesses - Dismissals and Related Compensation: Partial Repeal”. Currently, in the event of unlawful dismissal, compensation cannot exceed six months' salary. With the partial repeal of these provisions, it will be possible to exceed six months' salary.

3) “Partial repeal of provisions regarding the application of a term to subordinate employment contracts, maximum duration and conditions for extensions and renewals”. The referendum aims to reintroduce the requirement for a specific reason for employment contracts of less than 12 months, effectively providing greater protection for precarious workers.

4) “Exclusion of joint liability of the client, contractor and subcontractor for injuries suffered by an employee of a contracting or subcontracting company, as a consequence of the specific risks inherent in the activity of the contracting or subcontracting companies. Repeal”. This is an issue related to safety at work, with an expansion of the company's responsibilities for accidents at work.

As for citizenship, the question is the following: “Italian citizenship: Halving from 10 to 5 years the time of legal residence in Italy of a non-EU adult foreigner for the request for granting of Italian citizenship”. Halving the time would speed up the granting of citizenship to those who already have the right to it, an issue that concerns at least 2.3 million people in Italy.