A BBC report on Monday (June 9) said that a two-day referendum was held in Italy on five important issues, including amending the citizenship law. However, due to a voter turnout of only 30.6 percent, the vote was declared invalid in accordance with the country's electoral law. It is worth noting that at least 50 percent of voters are required to participate in a referendum to be valid.

The referendum proposed reducing the time limit for immigrants to apply for citizenship from 10 years to 5 years, ensuring workers' safety in the workplace and holding those responsible for workplace accidents accountable. The referendum was organized on the orders of the court, which was a ray of hope for many immigrants.

However, many expatriates, especially members of the Bangladeshi community, were disappointed by the lack of sufficient voters. For about 2.5 million immigrants living in Italy, this was a possibility to simplify the process of obtaining citizenship. But that hope was cut short by the absence of voters.

Local Bangladeshis believe that opposition to the government of Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the anti-immigration campaign played a major role behind this. They complain that such campaigning has discouraged many voters.

Meanwhile, the referendum was supported by left-wing and centrist political parties, various civil society organizations and an influential labor union. According to them, if the proposed legal reform were implemented, it would be in line with the citizenship policies of other European countries, such as Germany and France.

Incidentally, voter turnout in eight of the nine referendums held in Italy between 1974 and 1995 exceeded the required level. However, only four of the 34 referendums held since 1995 have been valid; the rest were canceled due to low voter turnout.

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