Italy regions vote for autonomy
Secessionist sentiments in Lombardy and Veneto confined to fringe groups
Milan, Oct. 22: Voters in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto were voting on Sunday in referendums on autonomy, against the backdrop of Catalonia’s push for independence from Spain.
The consultative votes are only the beginning of a process which could over time lead to powers being devolved from Rome.
Secessionist sentiment in the two wealthy regions is restricted to fringe groups with little following.
Nonetheless, with both regions expected to vote in favour of the principle of greater autonomy, analysts see the referendums as reflecting the pressures that resulted in Scotland’s narrowly-defeated independence vote, Britain’s decision to leave the EU and the Catalan crisis.
At midday voter turnout which will have a critical bearing on the significance of the results stood at 10 percent in Lombardy and just over 21 percent in Veneto. The participation rate has to pass 50 percent in Veneto for the result to be considered valid. There is no threshold in Lombardy but a low turnout would weaken the region’s hand in any subseque negotiations with the central government.
“I’m happy that thousands, I hope millions, of voters in Veneto and Lombardy are asking for closer and more effective politics with less bureaucracy and waste,” said Matteo Salvini, leader of the Northern League which had pushed for the referendums.
European Parliament chief Antonio Tajani on Sunday took care to distinguish between Catalan’s chaotic independence referendum, deemed illegal by Madrid, and the votes in Italy. “First of all these two referendums are legitimate, that was not the case in Catalonia,” he told the Rome daily Il Messaggero.
“In Spain, it is not about autonomy, but a proclamation of independence in defiance of the rule of law and against the Spanish constitution.” he added,
Mr Anotonio Tajani said Europe should “fear” the spread of small nations: “It is not by degrading nationhood that we reinforce Europe.”
Lombardy, which includes Milan, and Veneto, which houses Venice, are home to around a quarter of Italy’s population and account for 30 percent of its overall economic output.
With dynamic economies and lower unemployment and welfare costs than the Italian average, both regions are large net contributors to a central state widely regarded as inefficient at best. — AFP