### Italians Vote on Referendums for Citizenship and Labor Law Changes

In a crucial two-day voting session, Italians are casting their ballots on referendums that could alter the nation's citizenship and labor laws. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has suggested her supporters to abstain from voting, possibly impacting the turnout and the binding nature of the results.

These referendums, initiated by a grassroots campaign from an NGO, require a minimum of 500,000 signatures to be called according to Italy's constitution. The results, expected after polls close on Monday at 3 p.m. local time, will only be binding if they achieve over a 50% voter turnout among the 51 million eligible voters.

One of the most debated issues on the ballot is the proposed changes to Italy's citizenship laws, particularly affecting children born to foreign parents. The current law stipulates that non-EU residents need to live in the country for ten years before they can apply for citizenship. The referendum seeks to reduce this period to five years. Advocates for this change argue it would better integrate second-generation Italians who already consider Italy their home, potentially benefiting around 2.5 million people.

Other questions focus on labor law reforms, such as increasing worker protections against unfair dismissal, improving severance payment access, and supporting the transition of fixed-term contracts to permanent ones. These changes are backed by the center-left Democratic Party and opposition groups who are encouraging voters to support the measures.

Prime Minister Meloni and her right-wing government, however, are trying to counter these efforts by promoting voter abstention, aiming to keep the turnout below the crucial 50% threshold. Meloni herself has stated she would go to the polls but refrain from voting—a move criticized by opposition groups as undermining democratic principles.

Recent opinion polls indicate that only 46% of Italians are aware of the referendum issues, and the turnout is likely to hover around 35%, significantly below the required level for the measures to be enacted. Meloni and her far-right party, Brothers of Italy, favor the existing system, arguing that it already ranks among the most open in Europe in terms of granting citizenships annually, while they focus on curbing illegal immigration and increasing legal work visas for migrants.