The battle on the referendum to cut the number of parliamentarians is in full swing, and a large victory for the Yes it doesn't seem so obvious anymore. While Agcom has just launched an appeal for correct information on the consultation of 20-21 September and some parties (including the Democratic Party) have yet to dissolve the reservation on the orientation to be followed, the No front is growing. Meanwhile, what is it asking precisely the referendum so desired by the 5 Star Movement, with the declared intention of punishing "the caste" and lightening the economic burden of the institutional machine? Italians are called to express themselves on the proposal to amend articles 56, 57 and 59 of the Constitution in order to reduce the number of parliamentarians: from 630 to 400 in the Chamber of Deputies, from 315 to 200 in the Senate.
By voting Yes, the constitutional reform law is confirmed and passes, by voting No, it is rejected. The first objective is to cut the costs of politics, but streamlining the Parliament would bring objectively negligible results. According to Carlo Cottarelli's Observatory of Italian public accounts, net savings would amount to 57 million a year and 285 million per legislature, i.e. an infinitely lower figure than that emphasized by the supporters of the reform (500 million per legislature) and equal to just 0,007% of Italian public spending. Not to mention all the problems of representation that the new law would bring with it, not being accompanied by a coherent reform of the electoral system and the overcoming of equal bicameralism.
While the niche Democratic Party (the secretary Nicola Zingaretti announced a direction in early September to decide the official line) and the promoters (Movimento 5 Stelle but also Lega) travel together for the Yes, there is also a large part of Italy who says No to a populist reform and even dangerous, for various reasons, for democratic stability. This front is transversally composed of different souls of the Italian political and civil scene: already 8 committees for the No have asked to access the television and radio spaces. These are associations such as Anpi, Arci, the Acli, the Sardines, but also political parties such as the Greens, Radicals, Socialists, Gruppo Misto Camera per il No, Lista Pannella, Sinistra Italiana, leading exponents of Italia Viva, Azione, + Europe and also of the Democratic Party and Forza Italia and civil society movements led by jurists such as the magistrate Armando Spataro or the constitutional lawyer Massimo Villone.
Voting will take place on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 September: polling stations will be open on Sunday from 7.00 to 23.00, while on Monday for half a day from 7.00 to 15.00. In seven regions, on the same days and times, votes are also held to elect the president of the region (and in a thousand municipalities also for the mayor), but the ballot paper for the referendum will be separate, with only one question and two possible answers, Yes and No. Being a confirmatory constitutional referendum (and not abrogate), there is no minimum quorum: the outcome of the polls will be valid even if 50% plus one of the voters is not reached. All adult citizens vote, presenting a document and ballot paper. In addition to cutting the number of deputies and senators, the reform also provides for the reduction of life senators to a maximum of 5 and a decrease in parliamentarians abroad.
