Italy votes to reduce parliament size by a third

Italians have voted in a referendum to reduce the size of the country’s parliament by more than a third.

Almost 70% of the people voted in favor of the change, counting almost all the votes.

The number of deputies in the Lower House will be reduced from 634 to 400. The Senate will also be reduced.

The referendum was driven by the Five Star Movement, part of the ruling coalition, which argued that the measure would cut costs.

It was held in conjunction with several key regional elections, where the results were seen as a setback for far-right League leader Matteo Salvini and a boost for the center-left Democratic Party, which is part of the first coalition government. Minister Giuseppe Conte with the populist Five Stars. movement.

The total number of deputies and senators will be reduced from 945 to 600. The change had already been approved by parliament.

But it needed to be backed by a referendum because it amends the Italian constitution. Changes must be made before the 2023 election.

Chancellor Luigi Di Maio, a high-ranking Five Star figure, described the result as “historic.”

“We can go back to having a normal parliament, with fewer privileges and 345 fewer seats,” he said.

Last October, Five Star said streamlining parliament would save the country 1 billion euros (918 million pounds) over 10 years.

However, critics argue that the measure will weaken the authority of parliament and generate minimal cost-saving benefits.

The leader of the Opposition League, Matteo Salvini, was looking for great achievements in the elections. But a right-wing coalition, led by Salvini, who previously served as Italy’s interior minister, only managed to win the eastern Marche region. He maintained control of two other regions.

The far-right Brothers of Italy party won the vote in Marche, and its leader Giorgia Meloni told local media it was a “great result.”

Salvini had hoped for a high-profile victory in Tuscany, which has been ruled by left-wing parties for more than five decades.

But the center-left Democratic Party clung to three regions it already rules, including Tuscany and Puglia. Tuscany’s center-left candidate Eugenio Giani said the center-left’s success was an “extraordinary victory.”

In Veneto, in the northeast, the president of the Popular League, Luca Zaia, won a landslide victory with 75.9% of the votes. He is seen as a potential match rival for Salvini.