# What happened in Italy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-italy/773949 "2016-12-05T18:02:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-italy/773949/1 "2016-12-05T18:02:37Z")
I know there was a referendum, and I know the PM resigned because of the results, but I can’t seem to find what the referendum was all about. Were things expected to go the way they did, or was it a bit of a shock? ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-italy/773949/2 "2016-12-05T18:11:07Z")
> **[Italy's PM Matteo Renzi to resign after constitutional referendum defeat | CNN](https://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/04/world/italy-constitutional-referendum-voting/index.html)** > > Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he will resign Monday after conceding an "extraordinary clear" defeat on an Italian constitutional referendum. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-italy/773949/3 "2016-12-05T18:11:44Z")
Seek and ye shall find: [Italian PM Matteo Renzi resigns after referendum defeat | Matteo Renzi | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/04/matteo-renzis-future-in-the-balance-amid-high-turnout-in-italy-referendum)\*\*\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-italy/773949/4 "2016-12-05T18:21:09Z")
Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-italy/773949/5 "2016-12-05T18:39:08Z")
If I’m reading that correctly, the measure, if passed, would have decreased the power of local regions and strengthened the national-level government. How does that tie into left-right politics and nationalism? ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-italy/773949/6 "2016-12-05T18:59:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If I’m reading that correctly, the measure, if passed, would have decreased the power of local regions and strengthened the national-level government. How does that tie into left-right politics and nationalism? There’s this Nationalist party, the Five Star Movement, led by comedian Peppe Grillo, who are the ones advocating for Italy’s exiting the Eurozone, and more or less the Italian equivalent to UKIP, although more left wing. They campaigned against the reform, and it counts as partially a success for them. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-italy/773949/7 "2016-12-05T20:02:08Z")
Regional sovereignty movements, especially in the north, seem to be Italy’s thing. The Northern League is all about getting somewhere between more power and complete independence for Italy’s northern regions. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-italy/773949/8 "2016-12-06T01:00:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If I’m reading that correctly, the measure, if passed, would have decreased the power of local regions and strengthened the national-level government. How does that tie into left-right politics and nationalism? It does not _per se_. The structure of the Italian parliamentary system makes it difficult for any party or alliance to maintain a decisive hold on power, so the government changes frequently, leading to inconsistency and uncertainty. Renzi proposed changing this, but could not get the parliamentary supermajority that was required for a constitutional change, hence the referendum. However, the referendum was not necessarily an abstract decision about whether the constitutional changes were a good idea, it’s was perhaps as much just about whether they think Renzi is the right guy to take the nation forward. The opposition to Renzi is more populist/nationalist and not keen on Europe, but they are not rabid right-wing nationalists. It’s possible some kind of referendum on the Euro or EU membership _may_ follow, but it will be a long way down the road. This was a much more nuanced situation than the Brexit vote, and it’s not even yet clear that the Italian population would necessarily support leaving the Euro or Europe, or what form any such departure might take. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-italy/773949/9 "2016-12-06T05:40:41Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > It’s possible some kind of referendum on the Euro or EU membership _may_ follow, but it will be a long way down the road. This was a much more nuanced situation than the Brexit vote, and it’s not even yet clear that the Italian population would necessarily support leaving the Euro or Europe, or what form any such departure might take. For what I’ve read, the Italian Constitution doesn’t allow for referendums about international relations. A party or coalition of parties willing to leave the EU should win parliamentary and Senate majority for either situation to happen.