{"id":273977,"date":"2016-12-04T08:05:06","date_gmt":"2016-12-04T08:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=273977"},"modified":"2016-12-04T08:05:06","modified_gmt":"2016-12-04T08:05:06","slug":"italians-vote-on-future-of-pm-renzi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/12\/italians-vote-on-future-of-pm-renzi\/","title":{"rendered":"Italians vote on future of PM Renzi"},"content":{"rendered":"
Italians are voting in a referendum which is being closely watched for further signs of anti-establishment sentiment in Europe.<\/p>\n
The vote, called by centre-left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, is formally on plans to streamline parliament but is expected to be used by many as a chance to register discontent.<\/p>\n
Populist parties have campaigned for a No vote. Mr Renzi has said he will resign if he loses.<\/p>\n
Opinion polls suggest he faces defeat.<\/p>\n
Voting began on Sunday at 07:00 (06:00 GMT) and ends at 23:00, with results expected early on Monday.<\/p>\n
What’s being decided?<\/strong><\/p>\n In brief: the reforms include reducing the power of the senate. Its members would be cut from 315 to 100, with most drawn from mayors and regional representatives.<\/p>\n Mr Renzi says the reforms would speed up the cumbersome law-making process in Italy, which has had 60 governments since 1948.<\/p>\n Opponents say the proposals would concentrate too much power in the prime minister’s hands.<\/p>\n Some 50 million Italians have the right to vote in the referendum – many voters are fed up with years of economic stagnation.<\/p>\n An opinion poll in November gave the No vote a lead of at least five percentage points. But many Italians are thought to be still undecided.<\/p>\n (The full details of what is on the table are further down in this article).<\/p>\n What would a No vote mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n The No campaign in Italy has been spearheaded by the the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, led by Beppe Grillo. It wants a referendum on whether Italy should keep the euro.<\/p>\n The Five Star Movement and the anti-immigrant Northern League would receive a boost from the prime minister’s defeat.<\/p>\n If Italy votes No, it would follow the UK’s vote in June to leave the European Union, as well as the rise of the anti-immigrant Front National in France and populist parties elsewhere (along with Donald Trump’s unexpected win in the US presidential election).<\/p>\n But the possibility of Mr Renzi, 41, falling from power has reignited concerns about financial stability in the eurozone’s third largest economy.<\/p>\n