Partial returns indicate Italy rejects constitution changes

Italians voted against a package of sweeping changes to their country’s post-war constitution, partial returns indicated today.

The two-day vote marked a victory for Premier Romano Prodi, who had urged citizens to reject the reform devised by the previous conservative government.

The vote had been seen as the first national test of popularity for Prodi two months after he narrowly won elections.

“It’s a comforting result, which reassures us and invites us to push ahead,” said Arturo Parisi, defence minister and longtime Prodi aide.

Former conservative Premier Silvio Berlusconi, whose government devised the reforms, has urged citizens to approve the changes.

With 38,279 polling stations reporting out of the country’s 60,978, returns showed that 62.2% had voted against the reforms, while 37.8% had approved them.

The reforms would have strengthened the premier’s powers, transferred some authority away from Rome to the country’s regions and reduced the number of MPs.

Some of the measures were aimed at fostering political stability in a country that has had 61 governments since the Second World War; others were aimed at speeding up the passage of legislation.

Opponents of the reform – including Prodi and many constitutional experts - said change is necessary, but criticised the reforms as a slapdash, confusing effort that would give too much power to the executive.

About 53% of the 43 million eligible voters had cast ballots by the end of voting today, according to the Interior Ministry, but the figure was not final.

No minimum turnout was required for the reforms to be approved.

The referendum demanded only a vote for or against, but the changes would have altered more than 50 of the 139 constitutional articles, representing the biggest change ever made to the document, enacted in 1948.

The reforms would have allowed the premier to dissolve parliament, a power now in the hands of the republic’s president. The premier also would have had the power to appoint and fire Cabinet members, decisions that the president now currently approve.

Other measures, some of which would not have taken effect for years, included transferring some authority over health, education and security from the central government to the nation’s 20 regions.

The reform had been devised by the right-wing Northern League, a member of Berlusconi’s coalition and a party known for its federal-like vision.

For some, the proposed reforms represented a chance to modernise an antiquated constitution that limits the premier’s powers more than other Western governments, reflecting the country’s fear of dictatorship after Benito Mussolini’s Fascist wartime regime.

Under the reforms, the two houses of parliament, which have identical powers, would have had different responsibilities. The lower house, which is larger and more representative, would have had more power, with the final word on some legislation. The Senate would have final say on matters of shared competence between the state and the regions. The move was aimed at speeding up the passage of legislation.

The proposals also called for a reduction of the number of deputies from 630 to 518, and of the number of senators from 315 to 252. However, that change had only been scheduled to take effect in a decade.

The centre-left, which had campaigned against the changes, insisted it would work on a new plan and vowed to seek dialogue with the conservative opposition.

“Now that this questionable and dangerous text is off the table, it is time to open serious dialogue over the future of the country’s political and institutional system,” said Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema.