Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has confirmed she will not vote in the five national referendum taking place this weekend, despite plans to attend her local polling station. The referendum, scheduled for 8–9 June, include four proposals to overturn parts of the 2016 Jobs Act and one highly contentious measure to reduce the residency requirement for non-EU citizens to apply for Italian citizenship from 10 years to five.
Meloni reiterated her strong opposition to the citizenship proposal during an event hosted by the conservative daily La Verità in Rome on Thursday evening. “I am totally against halving the time for citizenship,” she said, describing Italy’s current law as “excellent” and “very open.”
“I will not contribute to the referendum reducing the term for granting citizenship to foreigners in Italy to five years,” she stated, adding that abstention is a legitimate right for all citizens.
Italy’s citizenship law, unchanged since 1992, requires non-EU nationals to be legally resident for a full decade before applying for naturalisation. Children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot apply for citizenship until they turn 18.
Meloni’s right-wing government has consistently encouraged abstention, a strategy aimed at preventing the referendum from reaching the necessary quorum of 50% plus one of eligible voters. Without that threshold, the referendums are rendered invalid.
On Monday, Meloni announced she would attend the polls but would decline to take a ballot paper, a symbolic act intended to show respect for democratic institutions without aiding the referendums’ legitimacy. The move drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders. Elly Schlein, head of the centre-left Partito Democratico, accused the premier of “making a fool of the Italian people” and attempting to “scuttle the referendums.”
Meloni claims right “not to vote” in referendum
Meloni defended her position on Thursday, insisting, “Not voting is my right—it is everyone’s right.” She said she would still go to the polls “because I am a prime minister and I think it is right to give a sign of respect towards the ballot boxes and the referendum institution.”
The citizenship referendum was triggered by an online petition that surpassed 500,000 signatures. It is opposed by Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia and other parties in the ruling coalition.
The other four questions on the referendum ticket were championed by Italy’s largest trade union, CGIL, and target key elements of the Renzi-era Jobs Act. If passed, the reforms would:
- Restore protections against unfair dismissal under Article 18
- Eliminate caps on compensation for wrongful termination in small businesses
- Tighten rules around fixed-term contracts
- Reinstate joint liability for companies outsourcing labour, particularly regarding workplace safety
Tensions have risen sharply ahead of the vote. CGIL filed a police complaint on Thursday over an online image showing a sniper scope aimed at a voter, captioned: “You’re going to vote? I see you.” The image featured the logo of Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia as the user’s profile picture.
The union also denounced a banner hung near its Rome headquarters reading: “Everyone go to the beach on 8–9 June. Fuck CGIL.” In a statement, CGIL condemned the “climate of intimidation” and said it had received “thousands of hate-filled comments” from far-right supporters during the campaign.
With turnout projected to remain well below the required quorum—polls estimate participation could fall between 31% and 39%—the success of the referendums remains unlikely. Nonetheless, centre-left parties and union leaders see the vote as a critical moment to challenge the direction of Meloni’s government on citizenship and labour rights.
