Failed the referendum held in Italy to reduce the period required for immigrants to apply for citizenship from ten to five years. The popular consultation, which ended on Monday (9), did not reach the minimum quorum of 50% of the electorate and had only 30% participation, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
The vote, which began on Sunday (8), was invalidated because it did not reach the number of voters required for abrogative referendums — those that propose the repeal of laws. In addition to citizenship, four other referendums, all aimed at reviewing labor standards, were also annulled.
The rejected proposal sought to repeal a 1990s rule that doubled the minimum length of legal residence for applying for citizenship by length of residence. Currently, the deadline is ten years. Even though the change does not affect citizenship by descent (the right of blood), the political context is one of tightening rules.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has adopted a clear strategy: to demobilize the electorate. The head of government herself said she would not vote, and her allies reinforced this advice. Matteo Salvini, deputy prime minister and leader of the League, celebrated the result.
Salvini celebrates and toughens his speech
During an event in France with leaders of the European right, such as Marine Le Pen and Viktor Orbán, Salvini celebrated the failure of the referendum:
"Today, referendums are being voted on in Italy that will not pass: citizenship is not a gift. We want clearer and stricter rules for becoming an Italian citizen — a few extra years of residence are not enough. For the League, even stricter rules are needed: it is not enough to have lived in the country for a few years; you must know, respect and love the law, the language and the culture of the country that welcomes you. Otherwise, everyone goes home."
The Deputy Prime Minister also reiterated his international alliances:
“We are with Trump, with Bolsonaro, with Le Pen in France. And they are with me in Italy, where I risked being arrested for defending our borders. They will try to arrest us, but they will fail. They will try to buy us, but we are not for sale. Victory belongs to the most tenacious. We are on the right side of history.”
In the same speech, Salvini argued that the European People's Party (EPP) should break with the center-left and support the conservatives.
Civil reaction and next steps
After the vote closed, civil groups began collecting signatures to present a bill. The aim is to eliminate the minimum quorum in recall referendums, arguing that this criterion favors boycott:
“The quorum discourages participation and turns abstention into a strategic weapon for minorities,” said the proposal’s organizing committee.
