Very large in Veneto but much less in Lombardy: turnout in the two-speed vote in the regional referendums for autonomy in Veneto and in which, given the obviousness of the question, ended with the affirmation of the Yes.
Yesterday in Veneto, where there was a quorum of 50,1%, 57,9% of eligible citizens voted, while in Lombardy, where there was no quorum, the bar stopped at 40%. In Veneto, 98,1% of voters voted Yes, while in Lombardy they were 95,6%.
The Governor of Veneto, Zaia, rejoices: "This is the big bang of institutional reforms". And the leader of the Lega Salvini attributes paternity to himself, while other political forces - from the Democratic Party to Forza Italia and the M5S - claim their contribution to the affirmation of autonomy.
In reality, the road to autonomy remains uphill, because now we need to start a comparison between the central government and the Regions to see if and which of the 23 competing subjects (including health, labour, training, transport) can pursuant to article 116 of the Constitution, be transferred from the center to the regions. But the heart of the dispute concerns the tax authorities, because Veneto and Lombardy, the richest regions, would like to withhold part of the tax revenue they produce.
Assuming and not granted that an agreement is found between the Government and the Regions, this will have to be approved by an absolute majority by a law voted by Parliament. In short, the risk that the referendums lead to little or nothing remains very strong.
