Concurrently with the
general elections and with the
constitutional referendum are held a few more abrogative referendums, put forward by various parties.
Here is a brief description of what each of them is about:
Question 1 is the Communist proposal to repeal the infamous February 1984 decree-law, and reestablish the Escalator scheme as it was prior to that point. After trying to fight the decree through parliamentary means, PCI has decided to let the people resolve the issue. They are spurring the working class to rebel against a measure that significantly hurt their living standards. On the other side, PSI, PDP and PLI are campaigning heavily against this proposal, claiming that Craxi's decree was successful in keeping inflation under control, and that repealing it would mean a return to the chaos of the early 1980s.
Question 2 would establish "civil responsibility" (ie, the possibility to be sued in civil courts) for judges for their professional acts, specifically regarding professional misconduct or negligence. It has been proposed by the Radicals, who see it as a way to prevent - or at least punish - miscarriages of justice. Most of the political class has condemned it as dangerous and demagogic.
Question 3 would abolish the special commission in charge of investigating crimes committed by government ministers, which is widely seen as being excessively complacent. It is sponsored by the Radicals, who claim that this system amounts to putting ministers in a privileged position under the law. The political class is divided about this referendum, with some support coming from the two extremes of the political spectrum (PCI and DN) as well as from a few members of the establishment parties.
Question 4 is the initiative against nuclear power sponsored by the newly-founded Greens. It would not properly speaking ban nuclear power plants, but rather remove the State's ability to force the construction of a power plant in a municipality that refuses it, while simultaneously removing the financial incentives given to a municipality for such construction. In the wake of the Chernobyl disaster, debate is mounting in Italy over nuclear power, and many claim that it is too dangerous a power source to be pursued. Obviously, the Greens are spearheading this battle, though a few politicians from other parties are also on board. Still, most parties insist that developing nuclear power is a strategic imperative for the country.
Note1: Remember that
voting YES means supporting the REPEAL of an existing law. If you are confused as to what exactly voting yes/no entails, re-read the descriptions, or feel free to ask me.
Note2: The quorum requirement means that a referendum's result will only be taken into account if at least 25 voters turn out. But turnout will be considered at-large, meaning that even if you vote in even only one referendum, your nonvote in the others will be counted as a blank ballot rather than as abstention.
Poll
