Results Of Italy's Parliament Size Referendum Represent Citizens' Victory- 5 Star Movement

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2020) Tiziana Beghin, the head of the delegation of Italy's Five Star Movement (M5S) in the European Parliament, praised in a press release on Monday results of the constitutional referendum on the reduction in the number of parliamentarians, saying that this is the win of Italian citizens and a signal to European institutions.

The nationwide referendum, where Italians had to choose whether they agree to cut the number of lower house lawmakers from 630 to 400 and the number of senators from 315 to 200, took place on September 20-21. According to the press release, a total of 68 percent of Italians backed the changes.

"The Five Star Movement is very proud of the outcome and we consider it as the beginning of a new season of reforms that will bring more power to citizens. This is for sure their win. Moreover, this is a signal to the European Institutions: the strong turnout and the clear outcome show how important it is for citizens to have institutions that deliver fast, effective and transparent decisions. These are the structural reforms that the EU needs," the press release said.

According to Beghin, the outcome of the referendum is "a revolutionary change for Italy and for its domestic institutions." The lawmaker stressed that the proposed reductions would lead to more efficient and productive work of both chambers of the Italian parliament.

"For decades Italian politicians were well-known for their absenteeism and for their lack of respect for their duty. This will not be possible anymore in the future. This cut will also allow 100 million [euros or $117.5 million] savings for the taxpayers, half a billion for each legislation," the document added.

The proposal was one of the main campaign promises of the M5S in 2018, arguing that it would considerably reduce the costs of politics for the taxpayers. It became part of the coalition government deal of M5S and the Democratic Party in 2019.