Italy's Lombardy and Veneto regions vote on autonomy

Authorities in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto are holding referendums today on the region's level of autonomy.

Information about the referendum on qLombardy region's autonomy sticker on the back of a bus running in Milan. Photo:AP.

Although not an independence bid like Spain's Catalonia region,The referendums in Italy's two richest regions will start a process that could lead to Lombardy and Veneto asserting their independence.more autonomy from the central government, AFP October 22report.

Lombardy is famous for its fashion capital Milan, while the city of canals, Venice, is the capital of the Veneto region. These two northern regions account for a quarter of Italy's population and contribute 30% of its gross domestic product.

In two referendums approved by the constitutional courtItalyIn this ratification, citizens were asked whether they wanted a greater degree of autonomy from the central government of Rome in the areas of taxation, administration, immigration and infrastructure.

More than 12 million voters will choose "yes", "no" or "abstain". However, the results of the referendum are not legally binding, even if voters in the two regions agree to greater autonomy. The result will only give the leaders of the two regions more leverage in negotiations with Rome.

Observers say these two wealthy regions of Italy are moving forward.The referendum was influenced by Britain's decision to leave the European Union and the current political crisis in Spain as the autonomous region of Catalonia seeks independence.

Number of voters participating in the electionwill greatly affect the future negotiations between the two sides.Lombardy and Veneto regional governments with Rome.In Veneto, more than 50% of voters must turn out for the results to be considered valid. Meanwhile, Lombardy has no set turnout limit, but low turnout puts local leaders in a weak position when negotiating with the central government.

The leader of the Veneto region, Mr.Luca Zaia, critic of Romewaste up to 35 billion USD each year whileThis locality annually contributes 15.5 billion USD to the state budget, andcontribution level ofLombardy is nearly 60 billion USD.

With strong economic advantages, low unemployment rate and higher social welfare than the national average.The two regions want Rome to grant them greater autonomy in areas such as infrastructure, education, health and the environment. The leaders of Lombardy and Veneto also want to push regional autonomy further in areas such as security and immigration, which would require constitutional changes.

According to VNE