At stake in this Referendum:

• -Elimination of affiliation ticket vote for the proportional election of 25% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies
  -Abolition of reimbursement of expenses for election or referendum consultations
  -Elimination of the current method of electing judges to the Superior Council of Judiciary by affiliation ticket ballots
  -Separation of the judiciary into that of judge and public prosecutor
  -Abolition of the possibility of magistrates taking posts outside the judiciary

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Giuliano AMATO
• Assembly: Italy has a bicameral Parliament (Parlamento) consisting of the Senate (Senato della Repubblica) with 315 seats* and the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) with 630 seats.

* In addition, there are a small number of senators-for-life including former presidents of the republic.

Main provisions in the Referendum:

• QUESTION ONE: Elimination of affiliation ticket vote for the proportional election of 25% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies. - Election to the Chamber of Deputies: Under current law a mixed electoral system is used to assign the 630 seats stipulated by the Constitution: 475 are elected using the majority system (first past the post in an equal number of ballots) while 155 are elected using the proportional system (using specific ballots). Currently, voters are issued one ballot for each of the systems. If the referendum passes on 21 May the proportional system ballot will be eliminated and the 25% seats will be allocated to the candidates who had the highest percentage of votes in their constituencies among runners up.
• QUESTION TWO: Elimination of reimbursement to political parties for election expenses - Reimbursement of expenses for election consultations and referendums: The referendum would eliminate the current practice in which political parties or affiliations are reimbursed for expenses incurred in electoral campaigns for the Senate and Chamber, the European Parliament and regional councils.
• QUESTION THREE: Elimination of the current method of electing judges by affiliation ticket balloting - Election of the Superior Council of the Judiciary: Under current law, judges are elected to the Superior Council of the Judiciary by a proportional system with an affiliation ticket ballot that allows only one selection. The referendum would replace this system by a single selection ballot.
• QUESTION FOUR: Separation of the magistrate function into that of judge and public prosecutor - Organization of the Judiciary: This referendum would eliminate the possibility for magistrates to shift from adjudication to investigation and vice-versa.
• QUESTION FIVE: Abolition of the possibility of magistrates taking posts outside the judiciary Extra-judiciary Appointments of Judges: This referendum would eliminate the possibility in which, with prior authorization from the Superior Council of the Judiciary, magistrates may accept posts of any kind and assume the functions of arbiter.

Electoral Requirements

• Only 32.5% of registered voters participated in the referendum when a minimum of 50% + 1 is required for a referendum to pass. Therefore, the results were invalidated.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 56,942,108 (2000)
• Registered Voters: 48,846,238 (April 1996 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 29,324,593 (2000)

·         Is Italy a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Italy ratified CEDAW: Yes (10 June 1985)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 70 (Chamber of Deputies); 26 (Senate) (following the 1996 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 27 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Italy a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Italy ratified CRPD: Yes (15 May 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 8,541,316 (est.)