Referendum in Veneto - a non-legal electronic vote (formally a referendum) to disconnect the region of Venice (Veneto) from the state of Italy , the administrative center of which is the city of Venice . Organized by the Independence of Veneto Party. Passed from March 16 to March 21, 2014. The referendum was not officially recognized, but enjoyed the support of President Veneto [1] . According to the organizers, the majority of voters (more than 2 million) participated in the referendum and more than 80% of those who participated voted for the separation [2] [3] [4] .
 -  Referendum in Veneto | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | |||
| March 16 - 21 | |||
 Veneto on a map of Italy |
Content
Background
The Republic of Venice was independent until the end of the 18th century and was an influential power that controlled the main trade routes and owned many colonies in the Mediterranean and beyond. In 1797, Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the last Doge of the Republic and annexed Venice to Austria. Venice became part of Italy in 1866 [5] .
The law on voting was adopted back in 2006 [6] . According to opinion polls, two-thirds of the region’s population [7] , namely, 65% of voters [8] , supported the separation of Veneto from Italy. Activists calling for a referendum compared it to the struggle for independence of Catalonia and Scotland. An official referendum took place in Scotland on September 18, 2014, and a referendum in Catalonia will be held on November 9, 2014 [9] . Veneto President Luca Zaya said the Venetians do not want to sponsor the poor south of the country, which has already accumulated $ 17 billion in public debt, almost single-handedly. He also said that the initiative for voting comes from the people, and therefore should be respected twice. As of March 21, 2014 the regional government was preparing a law on the independence of Veneto, and 31 of the 60 members of the regional parliament needed a vote to pass it. Zaya says that even if the results of this referendum do not mean complete independence, Veneto can still arrange autonomy as part of Italy [10] . Veneto Gianluigi Busato, president of the Provincial Independence Committee, said that
| We have 1100 years of the history of the independence of the Republic of Venice. And joining Italy as a result of the 1866 plebiscite was more than a mistake. This is a crime because the results of that plebiscite were rigged. [eleven] |
Lodovico Pizzati, press officer of the plebiscito.eu public association, who organized the referendum, explained that
| If we achieve a quorum, we will unilaterally announce the independence of Veneto. In practice, from this moment on, local associations of industrialists and entrepreneurs will automatically stop paying taxes to the central Roman treasury. This will happen no matter what Rome says, with which we can no longer negotiate. [12] |
The reason for the activation of the supporters of the branch is, first of all, the heavy tax burden of the region, due to which the poor southern part of Italy is sponsored. The provinces of Treviso, Venice, Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Belluno and Rovigo should enter the new state [13] .
Voting
Electronic voting took place from March 16 to March 22, 2014. About 3.8 million people had the right to vote and the opportunity to participate in the referendum [8] . The main question that was submitted to the referendum is as follows: “Do you support the creation of an independent, sovereign, federal republic of Veneto?” [12] . Along with the issue of independence, the population was asked to express their opinion on the membership of Veneto in the European Union and NATO bloc [6] .
Results
| Do you support the creation of an independent, sovereign, federal republic of Veneto? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Yes or no | Votes | Percent |
| Yes | '' | 89.1% |
| Not | 10.9% | |
| Total votes | * | 100.00% |
| Turnout | 63.2%% | |
| Do you support the adoption of Veneto as the official currency of the euro? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Yes or no | Votes | Percent |
| Yes | '' | 51.4% |
| Not | 48.6% | |
| Total votes | * | 100.00% |
| Turnout | 24.6%% | |
| Do you support the entry of Veneto into the European Union? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Yes or no | Votes | Percent |
| Yes | '' | 55.7% |
| Not | 44.3% | |
| Total votes | * | 100.00% |
| Turnout | 22.3%% | |
| Do you support the entry of Veneto into NATO? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Yes or no | Votes | Percent |
| Yes | '' | 64.5% |
| Not | 35.5% | |
| Total votes | * | 100.00% |
| Turnout | 19.8%% | |
Nearly 89 percent of respondents who took part in the online voting spoke out in favor of creating an independent state, the Republic of Veneto. The initiators of the vote announced preparations for a referendum at the official level. President Veneto Luca Zaya said that it is necessary to develop relevant legislation, recognizing that disconnection is contrary to the Italian constitution, but appeals to the right to self-determination [13] .
Notes
- ↑ Venice: leave to stay? Radio Liberty
- ↑ Residents of Venice voted to secede from Italy
- ↑ Veneto residents support leaving Italy in unofficial referendum The Telegraph (English)
- ↑ REFERENDUM DI INDIPENDENZA DEL VENETO: I RISULTATI (Italian)
- ↑ Venice prepares for referendum on secession from Italy - Telegraph
- ↑ 1 2 Venice holds a referendum on secession from Italy // NTV.Ru
- ↑ BBC Russian - Independence referendum takes place in Venice
- ↑ 1 2 Referendum on Separation from Italy held today in Venice | RT in Russian
- ↑ In Venice, a referendum began on the issue of separation from Italy - Rosbalt.ru
- ↑ The referendum in Venice on March 16, 2014 showed that the inhabitants of this region agree to independence from Italy.
- ↑ LOOK / Referendum on leaving Italy began in Venice
- ↑ 1 2 Venice hosts referendum on separation from Italy - Niva Mirakyan - Russian newspaper
- ↑ 1 2 Residents of Venice spoke in a referendum for secession from Italy - Alexander Samozhnev - Russian newspaper