Referendum italiani sulla cittadinanza, le leggi sul lavoro falliscono a causa della bassa affluenza alle urne

Lmao mind you one of the ballots concerned the abolition of a good chunk of the infamous job market de-regulation law the entire country was bitching about since like 2015.

Italians truly are their own Family Guy parody “if I were there… If… If only… I would do this… If I were there…IF”

Italian politics have become so polarized—especially since the Berlusconi era—that many people are no longer able to vote based on the actual issues at stake. A recent example is a referendum aimed at repealing a law that weakened protections for workers who were unfairly dismissed. Despite the fact that the referendum clearly aligned with workers’ rights, many people chose to stay home and not vote, simply because the referendum was initiated by the left and targeted a law passed by a left-wing government.

It’s ironic and frustrating: the measure was in favor of workers, yet many working-class people didn’t support it—not because they disagreed with its content, but because it was associated with a political side they no longer trust. Meanwhile, wealthier voters, who once leaned right, are now more likely to support the left. The roles have essentially flipped—today in Italy, the average worker tends to vote for right-wing parties, while the urban, well-off population often supports the left.

It’s a sign of how broken political discourse has become, where tribal loyalty outweighs real self-interest.

The system of 50% turnout needed for a valid referendum is very unfair because the rule always favors the status quo. You cannot get a 100% turnout, so the side of the status quo can always just decide to abstain, especially when they are the minority.

It’s a stupid rule that actually decreases turnout, since one of the sides generally will take the approach of abstaining.
Hungary also has this, to prevent opposition referendums from succeeding (on the off chance a question would be allowed to go on the ballot, which it won’t). The government held 2 referendums 1 in 2016 (immigration) and 4 in 2022 (gender something) with the election. Naturally, both failed because the opposition voted invalid or didn’t vote. The institution of referendum is thereby emptied of all power.