Italian referendums, 1978
Encyclopedia
Two nationwide referendums were held in Italy
on 11 June 1978. Both were rejected by the electors.
during riots or simple street protests. The referendum was called by the Radical Party and it found the support of two most extreme opposition parties, the Italian Social Movement
on the right side, and Proletarian Democracy
on the left one, together with the Italian Liberal Party
, while all the majority forces but also the Italian Communist Party
asked a popular rejection.
Italian voters had to say yes if they wanted to abolish the new law about the police powers, or no if they want to defend it. The referendum had a turnout of 81.2%.
The referendum was rejected by the Italian electors, following the positions of all the parties of the so-called Constitutional Arch
.
but also the Italian Socialist Party
, while all the rest of the political spectrum asked a popular rejection.
Italian voters had to say yes if they wanted to abolish public party funding, or no if they want to defend it. The referendum had a turnout of 81.2%.
The referendum was rejected by the Italian electors, but the percentage was considerably smaller than the expected result considering the parliamentary positions.
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 11 June 1978. Both were rejected by the electors.
Police powers referendum
A first referendum was held about the Reale Law, which had been approved by the Parliament in 1975 and defined the powers and engagement of the Italian policeItalian police
Law enforcement in Italy is provided by eight separate police forces, six of which are national groups in Italy.During 2005 in Italy, the number of active police officers from all agencies totaled 324,339, the highest number in the European Union both overall and per capita, twice the number of...
during riots or simple street protests. The referendum was called by the Radical Party and it found the support of two most extreme opposition parties, the Italian Social Movement
Italian Social Movement
The Italian Social Movement , and later the Italian Social Movement–National Right , was a neo-fascist and post-fascist political party in Italy. Formed in 1946 by supporters of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, the party became the fourth largest party in Italy by the early 1960s...
on the right side, and Proletarian Democracy
Proletarian Democracy
Proletarian Democracy was a political party in Italy.-1970s:DP was founded in 1975 as a joint electoral front of the Proletarian Unity Party , Workers Vanguard and the Workers Movement for Socialism...
on the left one, together with 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...
, while all the majority forces but also 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...
asked a popular rejection.
Italian voters had to say yes if they wanted to abolish the new law about the police powers, or no if they want to defend it. The referendum had a turnout of 81.2%.
| Rejecting police powers 7,400,619 (23.5%) |
Confirming police powers 24,038,806 (76.5%) |
||
| ▲ |
The referendum was rejected by the Italian electors, following the positions of all the parties of the so-called Constitutional Arch
Constitutional Arch
The term Constitutional arch was conceived and used in the Italian political debate during the first fifty years of the Italian Republic. This expression linked the Italian political parties which had been actors in the drafting and approval of the Italian Constitution of 1948.The arch therefore...
.
Party funding referendum
A second referendum was held about the party funding Piccoli Law. The new law was passed by the Parliament in 1974, establishing a statal funding of the parliamentary parties, and trying to abolish party funding, and the consequent influence, by big industrial groups and interests. The referendum was called by the Radical Party and it found the support of the extreme opposition party of Proletarian DemocracyProletarian Democracy
Proletarian Democracy was a political party in Italy.-1970s:DP was founded in 1975 as a joint electoral front of the Proletarian Unity Party , Workers Vanguard and the Workers Movement for Socialism...
but also 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...
, while all the rest of the political spectrum asked a popular rejection.
Italian voters had to say yes if they wanted to abolish public party funding, or no if they want to defend it. The referendum had a turnout of 81.2%.
| Rejecting party funding 13,691,900 (43.6%) |
Confirming party funding 17,718,478 (56.4%) |
||
| ▲ |
The referendum was rejected by the Italian electors, but the percentage was considerably smaller than the expected result considering the parliamentary positions.