Italy's Referendum: Prime Minister Renzi Quits as Voters Say ''No''

• 12.05.2016, 20:04
•  Europe

Reuters

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has said he will resign on Monday after voters dismissed his plans for constitutional reform. Almost 60% of the voters said "no" to the reforms.

"My experience in government ends here … I did all I could to bring this to victory. If you fight for an idea, you cannot lose," Renzi said, according to BBC.

The referendum was designed to speed up the legislative process by reducing the powers of the upper house Senate and regional authorities.

Renzi's resignation could open the door to early elections next year and to the possibility of an anti-euro party, the opposition 5-Star Movement, gaining power in the heart of the single currency. 5-Star campaigned hard for a 'No' vote.

The new prime minister, who will need the backing of Renzi's Democratic Party (PD) to take office, will have to draw up a new electoral law, with 5-Star urging a swift deal to open the way for elections in early 2017, a year ahead of schedule.

"From tomorrow, we will start work on putting together 5-Star's future program and the team of people that will make up a future government," said Luigi Di Maio, tipped to be the group's prime ministerial candidate.

The referendum outcome also energised the anti-immigrant Northern League party, an ally of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen. The party called for an early general election in Italy.

The party leader Matteo Salvini called the referendum a "victory of the people against the strong powers of three-quarters of the world," Reuters reports.

But the referendum was more than a vote on constitutional reform, it was widely regarded as a chance to reject establishment politics.

According to many experts, the main reasons for the referendum failure are Renzi's declining popularity, years of economic stagnation, and the problems caused by tens of thousands of migrants arriving in Italy from Africa.