All about Italy's referendum
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All about Italy’s Referendum
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Transcript of All about Italy's referendum
All about Italy’s Referendum
The country has seen 63 governments since 1945 and politicians from all parties have called for reform to the system for many years. Left- and right-wing parties have joined forces to oppose Prime Minister Matteo Renzi; there are splits within his own Democratic Party.
Why is Italy holding a referendum? The aim is to make Italy's government more stable and efficient through a set of significant changes to Italy's constitution. The changes would see the country move from a perfect 'bicameral' system (where its Chamber of Deputies and Senate are totally equal) to a new system with reduced powers for the Senate, and a redefinition of powers between local and central institutions. This would mean that the Senate would be less involved in law-making (currently laws have to be passed by both chambers), and that the government would have slightly more control over the regions. The number of senators would be slashed from 315 to 100, and rather than being elected, they would be picked by the government from regional councils. The new parliament would have just 100 seats – 74 regional councilors, 21 majors, and five presidential nominees, with the latter serving for seven years rather than for life.
So what are the arguments for and against?Reformers say their changes will make Italy more efficient. Opponents say they'll remove vital checks and balances. Renzi argues that governments would be more stable under the proposed reforms, with leaders practically guaranteed to serve a full term once elected and less money spent on politicians' salaries and bureaucracy. But critics argue that the reforms are inconsistent and would leave the PM with too much power, the very situation the bicameral system was put in place to prevent. More significantly however, the fact that the real-world impact of the changes is hard to explain means that the referendum has instead become a vote on the status quo - and on Renzi himself. The country's opposition parties on the left and right, as well as some from Renzi's own Democratic Party, are encouraging supporters to vote 'No' to make a statement against Renzi.
Legislative procedure
The reform differentiates between two main legislative procedures: a unicameral procedure (in which the role of the Senate is mostly consultative) and a bicameral procedure (in which a bill must be approved by both Chambers). Under the unicameral procedure (which is used every time the Constitution does not require a special procedure), bills can be adopted by a vote of the Chamber of Deputies. At that point, the approved bill is sent to the Senate, which has 10 days to decide whether to examine it to propose changes, or let it be enacted without modification. If one-third of the senators ask to review the bill, the Senate has 30 days to formulate amendments and send the bill back to the Chamber of Deputies. Then the deputies will take the final decision on the Senate's proposals and on the bill as a whole. No further approval of the Senate is needed, but a qualified majority might be required to overcome the Senate's veto for laws adopted under the supremacy clause.
The bicameral procedure works in a similar way to the current legislative procedure, in that bills must be approved in the same text by both houses to be enacted, and will be forwarded from one house to the other until approved by both. This procedure is required for bills regarding the following.• territorial subdivisions of Italy (regions, municipalities, metropolitan cities, and the special
municipality of Rome)• participation of Italy in the European Union (e.g. ratification of EU treaties)• the Senate itself (e.g. its electoral law)• protection of linguistic minorities• referendums and other forms of popular consultationOpponents to the referendum argue that the legislative procedures under the reformed Constitution would be much more than two, because of the several articles that introduce exceptions.
When is the Italy referendum?Italy will vote on the constitutional reform on December 4, 2016
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