It has received little attention so far, but the constitutional referendum on cutting the number of members of parliament would be something unique in the history of the Italian Republic.
On Sunday the 20th, from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, and Monday 21 September, from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, voting takes place on the constitutional referendum on reducing the number of members of parliament, the fourth called to confirm or reject a reform of our Constitution since the Republic came into being (also through a referendum) in 1946. It all began in October of last year, when members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate approved the text of the reform providing for a one-third reduction in their number, from 945 to 600. Specifically, the Chamber would see its deputies reduced from 630 to 400, while senators would fall from 315 to 200. In addition, the deputies elected by Italians living and voting abroad would be reduced from 12 to 8, and senators from 6 to 4. Life senators appointed by the President of the Republic would be capped at a maximum of 5.
The referendum was supposed to be held on 29 March, but the coronavirus pandemic put on hold even this important institution of direct democracy, which will involve more than 51 million Italians.
Part of the population is also being called to vote for their region or municipality. In particular, regional councils are being renewed in Campania, Tuscany, Veneto, Liguria, Valle d'Aosta, Marche and Puglia. Meanwhile, 1,178 municipalities are going to the polls, including 18 provincial capitals (Agrigento, Andria, Aosta, Arezzo, Bolzano, Chieti, Crotone, Enna, Fermo, Lecco, Macerata, Mantua, Matera, Nuoro, Reggio Calabria, Trani, Trento and Venice).
Approvate il testo della legge costituzionale concernente "Modifiche agli articoli 56, 57 e 59 della Costituzione in materia di riduzione del numero dei parlamentari", approvato dal Parlamento e pubblicato nella Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica italiana n. 240 del 12 ottobre 2019?
But let us return to the referendum. In response to the confirmatory question you can find above, voters may mark yes or no on the ballot paper, and no quorum is required — unlike abrogative referendums. The referendum is therefore valid even if turnout falls below 50 per cent. The option — subsequently exercised — of calling a referendum arose from the fact that in the Senate the reform obtained only a simple majority, rather than a two-thirds majority, at the second vote. This opened the door to a referendum request, submitted by 71 members of parliament (64 would have been sufficient), as provided for all legislation aimed at amending our Constitution.
Italy is the European country with the highest number of members of parliament — even more than Germany and France (923 for a population of 67 million). The aim of the reform is therefore to make parliament's decision-making process more efficient, and to bring parliament closer to citizens. The reform is the product of a historical period spanning roughly twenty years, during which politics came to be seen as a "stumbling block" between democracy and citizens — so much so that an anti-political movement emerged, directed against "la casta", a word used to describe Italian members of parliament, regarded as champions in their ability to preserve privileges, waste public resources and become embroiled in scandals. The term later gave rise to an investigation and a book: La casta. Così i politici italiani sono diventati intoccabili, written by Gian Antonio Stella and Sergio Rizzo in 2007, two journalists at the daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.
One of the most debated issues in recent days — even though the referendum has received very little attention — concerns the reduction in the degree of representation that the reform, initially supported across party lines, will entail. This is especially the case if it is not accompanied by a simultaneous reform of the electoral law — initially promised by the parliamentary majority — which should modify the size of constituencies and electoral districts so as to avoid leaving certain areas of the country "uncovered". The reference is to Italy's less densely populated areas. Reducing deputies from 630 to 400 means, in concrete terms, that each deputy will represent more than 150,000 Italians, compared with just under 96,000 today. Italy would become one of the European countries with the lowest level of political representation relative to its population.
This, in the view of those who oppose the reform, would lead to smaller parliamentary groups and therefore ones more tightly controlled by their leaders. Article 67 of the Constitution states: "Every member of Parliament represents the Nation and carries out their functions without a binding mandate."
One of the advantages of the reform, on the other hand, would be a reduction in public spending and "waste". The savings arising from the reform would amount to 100 million euros a year, according to its proponents — 500 million euros per legislature, which lasts five years. Although a calculation by the Osservatorio sui conti pubblici italiani at the Catholic University of Milan, directed by Carlo Cottarelli, puts the saving at 57 million euros a year, equal to 285 million euros per legislature. "A figure significantly lower than the one emphasised by supporters of the reform, and equivalent to just 0.007 per cent of Italian public spending," according to the editor of the daily newspaper la Repubblica, Maurizio Molinari, who has declared his opposition.
These are the first elections to be held during a pandemic, so it is worth recalling how to vote. To go to the polling station, voters must observe the basic rules for preventing contagion. Any voter with "respiratory symptoms or a body temperature above 37.5 degrees" must therefore stay at home; likewise, anyone in quarantine, in home isolation, or who has been in contact with positive cases in the past two weeks may not go to the polling station. Trusting precisely in voters' common sense, the Comitato tecnico scientifico did not consider it necessary to measure body temperature before entering polling stations.
Voters who have tested positive for Covid-19 and are in quarantine or self-isolation at home may also vote, provided they send the mayor of their municipality of residence, no more than five days before the vote, a declaration stating their wish to vote from home, along with a medical certificate confirming the infection, issued no earlier than fourteen days before the vote. People admitted to hospital — including for Covid-19 — may also vote, "provided the facilities housing them have at least 100 beds. If they are instead admitted to facilities with fewer than 100 beds, their vote is collected by specially appointed polling stations", as stated on the Ministry of the Interior's website.
