Venetian autonomy referendum, 2017
| Venetian autonomy referendum, 2017 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Veneto, Italy |
| Date | 22 October |
| Voting system | Simple majority |
| Do you want further forms and special conditions of autonomy to be attributed to the Region of Veneto? | |
The Venetian autonomy referendum of 2017 took place on 22 October in Veneto, Italy.
The poll is not binding, but might have consequences in terms of negotiations between the Italian government and Veneto, as the regional government will ask for more devolved powers since the "yes" won. According to Mario Bertolissi, law professor and advisor to the regional government, the referendum will have "constituent power". Others, especially supporters of unitarianism in Italy, consider it pointless.
As expected, the "yes" vote did succeed.
The referendum date was announced by the President of Veneto, Luca Zaia, in April 2017, after decades of debates and efforts by supporters of Venetian nationalism, which rose to prominence in the 1980s–1990s. Both in 1992 and 2000 the Constitutional Court had rejected proposals for similar referenda brought forward by the Regional Council of Veneto.
In 2014 Plebiscito.eu, a minor Venetist organisation and supposedly cross-party committee, organised an online unofficial independence referendum.
Following that espisode, the Region tried to hold an official one by voting a related bill. In June 2015 the Constitutional Court ruled the independence referendum out as contrary to the Constitution, but authorised one of the five autonomy referenda ("Do you want further forms and special conditions of autonomy to be attributed to the Region of Veneto?") proposed by the Region as alternative options.
Lombardy, Italy's most populous region neighbouring to Veneto on the east, held a similar referendum on 22 October. Both Zaia and President of Lombardy Roberto Maroni are members of Lega Nord and, more specifically, of Liga Veneta and Lega Lombarda, respectively. The LN is a strong proponent of federal reform, but in this case the referendums are also supported by the Five Star Movement.
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