Italy's prime minister resigns after losing referendum on electoral reforms
Mateo Renzi has stepped down after voters rejected proposals to change the constitution.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has resigned after voters rejected his proposed constitutional changes.
Exit polls and early projections for the official count give 42-46% support for the referendum against 54-58% voting against, the BBC reports.
The referendum was regarded as a barometer of anti-establishment sentiment in Europe.
The vote asked about plans to streamline Parliament and reduce the powers of the upper house in passing legislation.
But the vote was also widely seen as a chance to register discontent with the left-leaning government and the European Union’s handling of economic and other issues such as illegal migration.
Populist parties have been gathering support throughout Europe, not the least being Italy’s 5 Star Movement, which supported a no vote.
The conservative Northern League, the main opposition party, also supported a no vote. Its leader, Metteo Salvivin said a win would be a "victory of the people against the strong powers of three-quarters of the world."
The result means uncertainty in Italy, the European Union’s fourth-largest economy, as the bloc struggles to revive growth and define its future.
Mr Renzi’s resignation could clear the way for the formation of a caretaker government and, possibly, new parliamentary elections next year.
In another vote held in Austria at the weekend, centre-left presidential candidate Alexander Van der Bellen beat his far-right rival, Norbert Hofer, by a significant margin.
Nevil Gibson
Mon, 05 Dec 2016
Mon, 05 Dec 2016
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Italy's prime minister resigns after losing referendum on electoral reforms
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