Twenty percent of Italians have voted in referendum with PM Renzi's future at stake

Record ID: 75561

  • Title: Twenty percent of Italians have voted in referendum with PM Renzi's future at stake
  • Date: 4th December 2016
  • Summary: ROME, ITALY (DECEMBER 4, 2016) (REUTERS) MAN COLLECTING BALLOT PAPER IN POLLING STATION AND WALKING TO VOTING BOOTH/WOMAN WALKING TO ADJACENT VOTING BOOTH PINK BALLOT PAPERS MAN WALKS TOWARDS BALLOT BOX AND PLACES BALLOT WOMAN EXITS POLLING BOOTH AND PLACES BALLOT PAPER IN BOX WOMAN PLACES BALLOT IN BALLOT BOX MAN PLACES BALLOT PAPER IN BOX MAN AND WOMAN WALKING TOWARDS DOOR OF POLLING STATION TOURIST BUS DRIVING THROUGH PIAZZA VENEZIA PEOPLE ON STREET NEAR PIAZZA VENEZIA PEOPLE SITTING OUTSIDE CAFE NEAR PIAZZA VENEZIA PEOPLE AT BUS STOP IN PIAZZA VENEZIA/BUS ARRIVING POLICEMEN AND PEOPLE IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT, VALERIO VENTUNO, SAYING: "Yes, certainly because if the 'Yes' (vote) wins, things will get worse, I don't even want to think about what might happen. If 'No' wins, Renzi (Prime Minister Matteo Renzi) will go and hopefully we'll have a new beginning, other possibilities." (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT, MARCELLO BARTOLOMEO, SAYING: "Let's hope there's a change for the better. I hope so, but we are in Italy, and everything that happens in Italy is always an enigma. Let's hope for the best. I will vote 'No'." PEOPLE OUTSIDE BAR WOMAN SMOKING AND READING BROCHURE OUTSIDE BAR PEOPLE AND TRAFFIC IN STREET
  • Embargoed: 19th December 2016 12:57
  • Keywords: Italy Referendum Constitution Prime Minister Matteo Renzi Voting
  • Location: ROME, ITALY
  • City: ROME, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015BGWNRB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Italians were voting on Sunday (December 4) in a referendum on constitutional reform, with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi promising to resign if he loses the ballot.
    By noon, 20 percent of citizens had voted, the Interior Ministry said, more than the 17 percent who had cast ballots by the same time in May 2014 for the European Parliament election.
    Italians living abroad have voted by post over the past days and the ballots flown to a hangar on the outskirts of Rome.
    With all the opposition parties lined up against the reform, a victory for Renzi would be a surprise and represent an enormous personal triumph for Italy's youngest prime minister who often appeared to be fighting the campaign single-handed. All surveys published in the month before a blackout was imposed on November 18 put the 'No' camp ahead. Private polls have continued to be conducted in the last two weeks and bookmakers say 'No' remains the clear favourite to win.
    However, in the final days of frenetic campaigning Renzi insisted the public mood was changing, focusing his attention on the millions of Italians who said they were undecided.
    The result of exit polls will be announced as soon as voting ends and the count begins at 11 p.m. (2200 GMT). After around 30 minutes, the first projections of the result will be announced on the basis of actual votes counted.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register