Two wealthy Italian regions vote for greater autonomy

SENDING ROME A MESSAGE The regions of Lombardy and Veneto to negotiate for financial independence, a say in security matters and immigration

The citizens of two northern Italian regions voted overwhelmingly Sunday in favour of greater autonomy in closely watched referendums that come on the heels of Catalonia’s tortuous attempts to secede from Spain.

The polls closed late on Sunday, and with most votes counted by Monday morning, the results in Lombardy and Veneto suggested that millions of voters had cast ballots to “give a message” to the central government in Rome, Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto region, said at a news conference.

The non-binding referendums were promoted by the Northern League, which governs both regions, and the outcome will put the regional presidents on firmer footing as they begin negotiating with Rome for greater say — and financial independence — in a number of areas, including security, immigration and education.

“This is the big bang” of institutional reforms, said Zaia in Veneto, where at least 60% of the population went to the polls, easily reaching the quorum of 50.1%.

“In Veneto, what has won is the desire to be masters in our own home,” he said.

More than 98% of the more than 2 million people who went to the polls in Veneto voted in favour of autonomy, according to regional officials.

In Lombardy, about 40% of the electorate — some 3 million voters — went to the polls, but a quorum was not necessary. The region’s president, Roberto Maroni, said that more than 95 % of Lombardy’s residents had voted in favour.

“I am happy, I am very satisfied with how things went, and I realize that I now have a commitment that is equally important — which is to go to Rome and give concrete actualization to the mandate that millions of Lombards have given me,” he said.

Both regions, which are wealthy, are lobbying to have a greater say in how, and where, their tax money goes, arguing they give much more than what they get back. Lombardy accounts for around 20% of the country’s economy, with Milan, the region’s main city, serving as Italy’s financial and fashion capital. The Veneto region accounts for about 10%.

Though the Northern League harbored secessionist aspirations when it first emerged on the Italian political scene some three decades ago, the party has muted its tone, and the referendum was not a call for a break away from Italy.

Both Zaia and Maroni emphasized that the vote was well within their constitutional rights. Five of Italy’s 20 regions — Val d’Aosta, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Sardinia and Sicily — already enjoy an “autonomous status” that gives them a greater degree of control over specific areas and funding.

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