*Note: Because a minimum turnout of 50% was not reached, a valid outcome could not be produced. 

At Stake in this Referendum[1]^,[2]

On 5 June 2022, Italian voters will head to the polls to participate in a referendum concerning the status of five laws or decrees relating to the field of justice.

Italian voters indicate their preferences on five separate referendum cards, with one card allocated per question. The Italian Ministry of the Interior provides voters with a brief background description detailing the contents of each question, followed by the referendum question itself.

The referendum questions concern the following themes:

• Question One: “The abrogation of the Consolidated Law of the provisions on the subject of non-compliance and the prohibition on holding elected and government offices resulting from definitive sentences for non-negligent offenses.”
• Question Two: “The limitation of precautionary measures: repeal of the last sentence of art. 274, paragraph 1, letter c), code of criminal procedure, regarding precautionary measures and, in particular, precautionary needs, in the criminal trial.”
• Question Three: “The separation of the functions of the magistrates. Abrogation of the rules on the judiciary which allow the transition from judicial functions to prosecutors and vice versa in the career of judges.”
• Question Four: “The participation of lay members in all resolutions of the Governing Council of the Court of Cassation and of the judicial councils. Abrogation of rules on the composition of the Governing Council of the Court of Cassation and of the judicial councils and of the competences of the lay members who are part of it.”
• Question Five: “The abrogation of rules on the elections of the professional members of the High Council of the Judiciary.”

Italian voters may vote “YES” if they are in favor of repealing the law or decree cited in the question, or “NO” if they are not in favor of doing so.

Government Structure:

• Chief of State: President Sergio MATTARELLA (since 3 February 2015)
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Mario DRAGHI (since 13 February 2021)
• Assembly: The Parliament (Parlamento) is a bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, or the 320-seat Senate (Senato), and a lower house, or the 630-seat Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati).

Electoral System:

• The President of the Republic is indirectly elected to serve a seven-year term by an electoral college consisting of all members of Parliament (Parlamento), as well as delegates hailing from Italy’s regions.[3]
• The Prime Minister of the Republic is appointed by the president and is subsequently confirmed by Parliament.[4]
• The Senate (Senato) consists of 320, of which 315 are directly elected to serve five-year terms, while five are appointed ex-officio by the President of the Republic. Of the directly elected Senators, 116 seats are determined within single-member districts via simple majoritarian vote while 199 Senators are elected within multi-member districts – 193 within Italy and six abroad – using a system of list proportional representation.[5]
• The Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) consists of 630 members elected to serve five-year terms. Of these seats, 232 are elected in single-member constituencies using a simple majoritarian system, while 398 seats are elected within multi-member districts – 386 within Italy and 12 abroad – using a system of list proportional representation.[6]

Last Election:

• The most recent general elections were held on 4 March 2018.

Population and Registered Voters:

• Population: 61,095,551 (2022 est.)[7]
• Registered Voters: 51,533,195 (31 December 2021)[8]

Gender Data:

• Female Population: 30,504,672 (2020 est.)[9]
• Is Italy a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (signed 17 July 1980)[10]
• Has Italy ratified CEDAW: Yes (ratified 10 June 1985)[11]
• Gender Quota: Legislated quotas within the Senate (Senato) and the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) stipulate that candidates on multi-member district lists must alternate by gender. Additionally, provisions for the Chamber of Deputies assert that no gender shall surpass 60 percent within single-member districts or on multi-member constituency lists at the national level.[12]
• Female candidates in this election: N/A
• Number of Female Legislators: 229 out of 630 (36.35 percent) in the Chamber of Deputies and 112 out of 320 (35 percent) in the Senate[13]
• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: Rank 29 at 0.892 (2020)[14]
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very low[15]

Disability Data:

• Is Italy a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)[16]
• Has Italy ratified CRPD: Yes (15 May 2009)[17]