Italian nuclear power referendum, 1987
Encyclopedia
Five nationwide popular referendum
s were held in Italy
on 8 November 1987, with three questions about nuclear energy
after the Chernobyl disaster
, and two questions about justice
. Voting day had been postponed of six months, according to the Italian Constitution, because of the snap election of spring
.
Turnout was quite high, with a 65% of the electors participating to the referendum. For the first time since the adoption of the Constitution in 1948, a referendum was approved by the citizens.
Some commenters find that the questions were actually too technical for non-experts and were used to obtain popular consent after Chernobyl disaster
in 1986.
In each referendum "Yes" won. Subsequently, the Italian government decided in 1988 to phase out existing plants. This led to the termination of work on the near-complete Montalto di Castro Nuclear Power Station
, and the early closure of Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plant
and Caorso NPP, both of which closed in 1990. Italy's other nuclear power plants had already closed prior to the decision, Latina NPP in December 1987.
to built nuclear poer plants outside Italy. Italian voters had to say yes if they wanted to forbid any worldwide nuclear engagement of Italy, or no if they wanted to continue an Italian nuclear research abroad. The referendum had a turnout of 65.1%.
Debate about justice was strong in Italy during the 80's, expecially after the case of the unjust arrest of popular TV host and anchorman Enzo Tortora
, based only on false accusations by some pentito
mafiosi.
The referendums were called by the Radical Party to abolish privileges that nobody had abolished despite they were in opposition to the text of the Italian Constitution which affirms equality between any citizen. In facts, a sole incumbent minister had been condamed in all republican history: Mario Tanassi
for the Lockheed bribery scandals
in 1977. The referendum found support by the Italian Socialist Party
, which wanted to underline its reformist agenda, and by the Italian Liberal Party
.
In each referendum "Yes" won. However, if ministers were definitely subjected to ordinary courts, the Christian Democracy and the Italian Communist Party
later approved a law strongly limiting the civil responsibility for judge
s.
Popular referendum
A popular referendum is a type of a referendum that provides a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a...
s were held in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on 8 November 1987, with three questions about nuclear energy
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
after the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
, and two questions about justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
. Voting day had been postponed of six months, according to the Italian Constitution, because of the snap election of spring
Italian general election, 1987
The Italian election of 1987 was held on June 14. Italian citizens chose the tenth Parliament of the Italian Republic.This election marked the final inversion of the trend of the entire republican history of Italy: for the first time, the distance between the Christian Democrats and the Communists...
.
Turnout was quite high, with a 65% of the electors participating to the referendum. For the first time since the adoption of the Constitution in 1948, a referendum was approved by the citizens.
Nuclear power referendums
The nuclear power referendums concerned three issues:- abolishing the statutes by which the Inter-ministries Committee for the Economical Programming (CIPE) could decide about the locations for nuclear plants, when the RegionsRegions of ItalyThe regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
did not so within the time stipulated by Law 393; - abolishing rewards for municipalitiesComuneIn Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in whose territories nuclear or coal plants were to be built; - abolishing the statutes allowing ENELEnelEnel may refer to:*Enel SpA, an Italian electricity company*Enel , a fictional villain in the One Piece manga and anime series*Enel, meaning third in the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, cf. Awakening of the Elves...
to take part in international agreements to build and manage nuclear plants.
Some commenters find that the questions were actually too technical for non-experts and were used to obtain popular consent after Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
in 1986.
In each referendum "Yes" won. Subsequently, the Italian government decided in 1988 to phase out existing plants. This led to the termination of work on the near-complete Montalto di Castro Nuclear Power Station
Montalto di Castro nuclear power station
The Montalto di Castro nuclear power station was a nuclear power plant at Montalto di Castro in Italy. Consisting of two BWR units each of 982 MWe, it was approaching completion in 1988 when the Italian government decided to close all nuclear plants...
, and the early closure of Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plant
Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plant (Italy)
Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plant was a nuclear power plant at Trino , in north-west Italy....
and Caorso NPP, both of which closed in 1990. Italy's other nuclear power plants had already closed prior to the decision, Latina NPP in December 1987.
Location for nuclear plants
This referendum asked to abolish the power of the State to oblige the local administrations to accept new nuclear plants in their territory. Italian voters had to say yes if they wanted to support local administrations, or no if they wanted to maintain statal supremacy about this theme. The referendum had a turnout of 65.1%.| Rejecting NPP location 20,984,110 (80.6%) |
Confirming NPP location 5,059,819 (19.4%) |
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| ▲ |
Rewards for nuclear plants
This referendum asked to abolish rewards for local administrations which accepted nuclear, and coal, plants in their territory. Italian voters had to say yes if they wanted to eliminate these payments, or no if they wanted to maintain them. The referendum had a turnout of 65.1%.| Rejecting NPP rewards 20,618,624 (79.7%) |
Confirming NPP rewards 5,247,887 (20.3%) |
||
| ▲ |
ENEL nuclear plants abroad
This referendum asked to abolish the authorization for ENELEnel
Enel may refer to:*Enel SpA, an Italian electricity company*Enel , a fictional villain in the One Piece manga and anime series*Enel, meaning third in the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, cf. Awakening of the Elves...
to built nuclear poer plants outside Italy. Italian voters had to say yes if they wanted to forbid any worldwide nuclear engagement of Italy, or no if they wanted to continue an Italian nuclear research abroad. The referendum had a turnout of 65.1%.
| Rejecting abroad NPP 18,795,852 (71.9%) |
Confirming abroad NPP 7,361,666 (28.1%) |
||
| ▲ |
Justice referendums
The justice referendums concerned two issues:- abolishing the law excluding any type of civil responsibility of judgeJudgeA judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s in event of judicial errors; - abolishing the special parliamentParliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
ary boardBoard-Flat surface:* Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat** See :Category:Engineered wood** Cutting board** Sounding board, of a musical instrument* Cardboard* Paperboard*Corrugated fiberboard*Fiberboard*Particle board, also known as chipboard...
of inquiry which excluded any investigation over ministerMinisterMinister can mean several things:* Minister , a Christian who ministers in some way* Minister , the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador* Minister , a politician who heads a ministry...
s by ordinary courts.
Debate about justice was strong in Italy during the 80's, expecially after the case of the unjust arrest of popular TV host and anchorman Enzo Tortora
Enzo Tortora
Enzo Tortora , was a popular TV host and anchorman on national RAI television, who was falsely accused of being a member of the Camorra and drug trafficking...
, based only on false accusations by some pentito
Pentito
Pentito designates people in Italy who, formerly part of criminal or terrorist organizations, following their arrests decide to "repent" and collaborate with the judicial system to help investigations...
mafiosi.
The referendums were called by the Radical Party to abolish privileges that nobody had abolished despite they were in opposition to the text of the Italian Constitution which affirms equality between any citizen. In facts, a sole incumbent minister had been condamed in all republican history: Mario Tanassi
Mario Tanassi
Mario Tanassi was an Italian politician, who was several times Minister of the Italian Republic. In 1979 he was condemned by the Constitutional Court of Italy for his involvement in the Lockheed bribery scandal.-Biography:...
for the Lockheed bribery scandals
Lockheed bribery scandals
The Lockheed bribery scandals encompassed a series of bribes and contributions made by officials of U.S. aerospace company Lockheed from the late 1950s to the 1970s in the process of negotiating the sale of aircraft....
in 1977. The referendum found support by the Italian Socialist Party
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
, which wanted to underline its reformist agenda, and by the Italian Liberal Party
Italian Liberal Party
The Italian Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Italy.-Origins:The origins of liberalism in Italy came from the so-called "Historical Right", a parliamentary group formed by Camillo Benso di Cavour in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia following the 1848 revolution...
.
In each referendum "Yes" won. However, if ministers were definitely subjected to ordinary courts, the Christian Democracy and the Italian Communist Party
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...
later approved a law strongly limiting the civil responsibility for judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s.
Judges' civil responsibility
This referendum asked to abolish the law excluding any responsibility for judicial errors. Italian voters had to say yes if they wanted to abolish judges' exclusion from civil responsibility, or no if they wanted to maintain it. The referendum had a turnout of 65.1%.| Rejecting irresponsibility 20,770,334 (80.2%) |
Confirming irresponsibility 5,126,021 (19.8%) |
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| ▲ |
Ministers' board of inquiry
This referendum asked to abolish the law excluding ministers from ordinary prosecution. Italian voters had to say yes if they wanted to abolish the parliamentary board which substitued ordinary court in ministerial accusations, or no if they wanted to maintain it. The referendum had a turnout of 65.1%.| Rejecting inquiry board 22,117,634 (85.0%) |
Confirming inquiry board 3,890,111 (15.0%) |
||
| ▲ |
External links
- Referenda and Nuclear Power Plants - A Historical Overview at the GreenpeaceGreenpeaceGreenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
archive. - European Nuclear Outlook at the McGraw-HillMcGraw-HillThe McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
online energy resource site summarizes past referendums.