by InTrieste
Polling stations opened across Italy on Sunday for a nationwide referendum featuring five questions related to labor rights and citizenship. As of 7 p.m. local time, voter turnout in Friuli Venezia Giulia stood at 15.73 percent—broadly in line with the national average of 16 percent—according to data released by the Ministry of the Interior’s Eligendo platform.
The five referendum questions address key issues in employment law and citizenship eligibility. Specifically, voters are being asked whether to repeal or amend legislation concerning:
- Unlawful dismissal of workers at companies with more than 15 employees
- Unlawful dismissal of workers at smaller firms (under 16 employees)
- Fixed-term employment contracts
- Workplace safety regulations
- Rules for acquiring Italian citizenship
The outcome of the referendum will only be valid if voter turnout exceeds 50 percent plus one of eligible voters. In Friuli Venezia Giulia, which has over 932,000 eligible voters and 1,357 polling sections, voter participation reached 7.3 percent by noon—identical across all five questions.
Among the region’s provinces, Gorizia reported the highest turnout by early evening, with 17.5 percent of voters participating, up from 8.74 percent at midday. Trieste followed with 16.17 percent (up from 7.85 percent at noon), then Pordenone with 15.8 percent, and Udine with the lowest turnout at 14.9 percent.
Polling stations will remain open until 11 p.m. on Sunday and will reopen on Monday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The last referendum in Italy, held in 2022 on judicial reform, saw record-low participation in Friuli Venezia Giulia, where just 26 percent of voters cast a ballot. Officials and observers are watching closely to see whether turnout this year will surpass that figure.
Live updates and breakdowns by province are available on the Ministry’s official Eligendo website.
