The Italian government has scheduled five referendums for 8-9 June, including a significant vote on changing the country’s citizenship laws. These referendums will coincide with the second round of Italy’s 2025 municipal elections, following the first round on 25-26 May.
The citizenship referendum proposes reducing the residency requirement for non-EU nationals from 10 years to five before they can apply for Italian citizenship. Once granted, citizenship would automatically extend to their children. Currently, children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot apply for citizenship until they turn 18.
The remaining four referendums, backed by the CGIL trade union, focus on labour rights. They include repealing the Jobs Act, introduced by Matteo Renzi’s government in 2016, and modifying rules on workplace safety and severance pay for small businesses.
Citizenship Referendum Sparks Political Debate
Italy’s constitutional court approved the citizenship referendum in January after the Court of Cassation validated a petition that gained over 500,000 signatures. The proposal has met strong resistance from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government.
Riccardo Magi, leader of the centre-left +Europa party and a key advocate for the referendum, welcomed the court’s ruling as “a historic step for an Italy that recognises the rights of those who live, love, and build it every day.” However, he criticised the government’s decision to schedule the vote in June, arguing it was an attempt to discourage turnout. Magi had requested the referendum take place during the first round of local elections in May.
Meloni’s cabinet defended the chosen date, stating it aimed to balance voter participation with the need to avoid disruptions in schools used as polling stations.
One concession made by the government was ensuring non-resident citizens, such as students and workers living away from their registered address, could vote.
For the results to be valid, voter turnout must exceed 50%.
