Voting starts in decisive Italian referendum

Record ID: 75586

  • Title: Voting starts in decisive Italian referendum
  • Date: 4th December 2016
  • Summary: ROME, ITALY (DECEMBER 4, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR POLLING STATION POLICEMAN PUTTING SIGN UP OUTSIDE POLLING STATION AT DAWN PEOPLE ARRIVING AND ENTERING POLLING STATION CORRIDOR IN POLLING STATION POLLING STATION PERSONNEL IN ROOM BALLOT BOX VARIOUS PREPARATIONS IN VOTING ROOM VOTING PAPERS SHOWING "YES" AND "NO" BOXES TO TICK VOTER PLACING BALLOT IN BOX DOCUMENTS BEING HANDED TO VOTER (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) VOTER AND POLLING STATION CHIEF PAOLA LAMBERTUCCI SAYING: "People are giving this referendum a lot of importance. I think there will only be a very small difference between both sides when we get the results and I think nothing will change." VARIOUS PERSONNEL IN VOTING ROOM BALLOT BOX VOTER ARRIVING AND HANDING OVER DOCUMENT VOTER ENTERING CABIN TO VOTE VOTER PLACING VOTE IN BALLOT BOX VOTER TAKING DOCUMENT VARIOUS BALLOT PAPERS EXTERIOR POLLING STATION (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) VOTER GIORGIO VALENTINI SAYING: "You want to know who I voted for? I voted for "Yes." Not a great deal is going to change, but I have really had enough of these continual changes of government. In seventy years, we have had sixty governments and I have seen that (Prime Minister Matteo) Renzi isn't the best but all the others aren't any better. To vote for people like (former Prime Minister Silvio) Berlusconi or (5-star Leader Beppe) Grillo or (Forza Italia politician Renato) Brunetta or (former Prime Minister and PD politician Massimo) D'Alema just makes me feel sick. It is my personal view, but probably "No" is going to win unfortunately." PEOPLE ENTERING POLLING STATION
  • Embargoed: 19th December 2016 07:18
  • Keywords: Italy Referendum Renzi 5-Star Constitution
  • Location: ROME, ITALY
  • City: ROME, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015BGVFIF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Italians started voting on Sunday (December 4) in a referendum on constitutional reform, with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi promising to resign if he loses the ballot.
    Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) and are set to close at 11 p.m. (2200 GMT). Some 51 million Italians are eligible to vote and full results are expected in the early hours of Monday (December 5).
    "People are giving this referendum a lot of importance," said early morning voter Paola Lambertucci.
    "I think there will only be a very small difference between both sides when we get the results and I think nothing will change" she said.
    "You want to know who I voted for? I voted for "Yes," said pensioner Giorgio Valentini.
    "Not a great deal is going to change, but I have really had enough of these continual changes of government. In seventy years, we have had sixty governments and I have seen that (Prime Minister Matteo) Renzi isn't the best but all the others aren't any better. To vote for people like (former Prime Minister Silvio) Berlusconi or (5-star Leader Beppe) Grillo or (Forza Italia politician Renato) Brunetta or (former Prime Minister and PD politician Massimo) D'Alema just makes me feel sick. It is my personal view, but probably "No" is going to win unfortunately," Valentini said.
    The constitutional reform reduces the role of the upper house Senate and claws back powers from regional authorities -- measures that the government says will bring political stability to Italy.
    However, almost all opinion polls over the past two months have suggested that Renzi will be defeated.
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