Overview

• The referendum asks voters to halve the residency requirement for non-EU citizens from 10 to five years and to reverse elements of the 2015 Jobs Act to enhance worker protections
• Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government and its coalition partners are urging abstention to sink the measures by denying the vote its required quorum
• Left-wing parties and the CGIL union collected over 4.5 million signatures to trigger the referendum, arguing roughly 2.5 million residents could qualify under the proposed citizenship rules
• EU data show more than 213,500 people obtained Italian citizenship in 2023, over 90% from outside the bloc, underscoring Italy’s existing naturalization levels
• With public awareness low, activists and figures such as rapper Ghali and Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein have intensified efforts to drive voters to the polls