Italy citizenship referendum campaign is claiming success

Last updated on September 27th, 2024 at 12:11 pm

Italy’s citizenship referendum campaign is running successfully. On Tuesday, Sept 24 one of the leaders of Italy’s Opposition left wing party, MP Riccardo Magi announced on social media, “We did it! In just a few days 500000 citizens signed up for the #Citizenship Referendum.”

In an interview, Magi thanked the supporters of the campaign including celebrities and mayors across Italy, Oxfam Italia, Action Aid, and the Italian Socialist Party.

Political Gridlock

The present Italian citizenship law was passed in 1992. Since then, any attempt to change the law has always been blocked or faced hurdles. The long-standing debate gained momentum after Italy celebrated the success of the many multicultural athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 

The opposition MP stated that he believed adding signatures online also helped in the latest campaign and urged people to keep adding numbers to the petition before its deadline on Sept 30.

Process to Naturalisation

Current rules in Italy state that a person must live for at least 10 years in the country to apply for neutralisation. Children in Italy born to foreigners need to be 18 years before being able to apply for citizenship.

According to the supporters of the campaign, a change in the law would make around 2.5 million people eligible for citizenship. The referendum is the first step towards a more just and fair law that recognises everyone of their daughters and sons as Italian. 

The nation has long struggled against a declining birth rate, one of the lowest in Europe. The new law will be able to counter that along with acknowledging the contribution foreigners are making to the country.