Italy to Hold Referendum on Reducing Citizenship Waiting Period

Rome, The Gulf Observer: The Italian government has announced a referendum scheduled for June 8-9 to decide whether to halve the waiting period for acquiring Italian citizenship. This initiative, driven by opposition parties and NGOs, follows the successful collection of over 500,000 signatures, meeting the legal threshold to bring the issue to a national vote.

Currently, foreigners must reside in Italy for at least ten years before applying for naturalization, while children born to foreign parents can only request citizenship upon reaching adulthood. The proposed reform aims to reduce the residency requirement to five years and grant automatic citizenship to minors born to foreign parents in Italy.

Despite opposition from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, led by the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party, the government was legally obligated to organize the referendum. Should the “yes” vote prevail, approximately 2.5 million foreigners could gain Italian citizenship.

The upcoming referendum has sparked widespread debate, with supporters advocating for greater inclusivity and social integration, while opponents argue that the reform could undermine national identity and security.