Court okays Italian referendum on political reforms

Rome, Aug 8: Italy’s top court on Monday approved a list of over 500,000 sigtures required to hold a tiol referendum on political reforms the centre-left government says will guarantee stable executives. “Now we can say that this is a referendum belonging to the Italians,” tweeted premier Matteo Renzi, who has staked his future on its success. The green light from Italy’s Court of Cassation clears the way for the referendum, which is expected to be held this autumn. Opposition lawmakers quickly urged Renzi’s government to set a precise date for the vote after the top court’s ruling. It has 60 days to do so. “Renzi must stop leading Italian citizens a merry dance and immediately set the date on which they will vote in the constitutiol referendum,” the grassroots Five Star movement said in a statement. (IANS)