Italian PM Renzi's political future rides on Sunday's referendum
Italy will go to the polls in a historic referendum on constitutional reform on Sunday as the country's future mostly depends on the result of the referendum. A ‘no' vote will lead to a new election as Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has promised to stand down if he loses the referendum.
The constitutional reform proposes drastically diminishing the powers of the upper house Senate, leaving most decision-making in the hands of the lower house. It will strip the Senate of its ability to bring down the government, cut the number of senators to 100 from 315. The referendum would give Italy stronger government, guaranteeing a big majority to the winning party and giving party bosses wide authority to handpick candidates.
Members of Renzi's own center-left Democratic Party (PD) have said they fear the twin reforms will open the way for the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement to take power at the next election, which is due in 2018. PD dissidents also suspect Renzi will use the new law to stop them standing for re-election.
The 5-Star itself is demanding a return to proportional representation, which would keep alive Italy's tradition of coalition government, with no one party ever in a position to impose itself on the country.
Polls on the referendum earlier this year were in PM Renzi's favor. The latest September poll suggested that the ‘no' vote would win by 51 percent.
Rather than renounce the neutering of the Senate, Renzi said this week he was happy to review the Italicum and his ruling coalition presented a blandly worded motion to parliament on Wednesday saying it was ready to discuss modifications. The motion passed by 293 to 157, but many lawmakers walked out before the vote was held, including some 40 members of the PD, who accused Renzi of employing underhand political tactics, hinting at possible change without committing to anything. "It doesn't take much to realize that this means nothing," said the former head of the PD, Pier Luigi Bersani -- one of a number of veteran party figures lined up against Renzi.
All major opposition parties have also come out against the referendum and are urging a 'No' vote, in part driven by Renzi's pledge to stand down if he loses. The prime minister has sought to distance himself from that promise in recent weeks without directly disavowing it, but he is struggling to turn the tide in favour of the reform. A poll published this week by the TG 7 TV news showed that 34.1 percent of the electorate intended to vote 'No', 30.1 percent would vote 'Yes' and 35.8 percent were undecided.
The constitutional reform proposes drastically diminishing the powers of the upper house Senate, leaving most decision-making in the hands of the lower house. It will strip the Senate of its ability to bring down the government, cut the number of senators to 100 from 315. The referendum would give Italy stronger government, guaranteeing a big majority to the winning party and giving party bosses wide authority to handpick candidates.
Members of Renzi's own center-left Democratic Party (PD) have said they fear the twin reforms will open the way for the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement to take power at the next election, which is due in 2018. PD dissidents also suspect Renzi will use the new law to stop them standing for re-election.
The 5-Star itself is demanding a return to proportional representation, which would keep alive Italy's tradition of coalition government, with no one party ever in a position to impose itself on the country.
Polls on the referendum earlier this year were in PM Renzi's favor. The latest September poll suggested that the ‘no' vote would win by 51 percent.
Rather than renounce the neutering of the Senate, Renzi said this week he was happy to review the Italicum and his ruling coalition presented a blandly worded motion to parliament on Wednesday saying it was ready to discuss modifications. The motion passed by 293 to 157, but many lawmakers walked out before the vote was held, including some 40 members of the PD, who accused Renzi of employing underhand political tactics, hinting at possible change without committing to anything. "It doesn't take much to realize that this means nothing," said the former head of the PD, Pier Luigi Bersani -- one of a number of veteran party figures lined up against Renzi.
All major opposition parties have also come out against the referendum and are urging a 'No' vote, in part driven by Renzi's pledge to stand down if he loses. The prime minister has sought to distance himself from that promise in recent weeks without directly disavowing it, but he is struggling to turn the tide in favour of the reform. A poll published this week by the TG 7 TV news showed that 34.1 percent of the electorate intended to vote 'No', 30.1 percent would vote 'Yes' and 35.8 percent were undecided.