The Regional Council of Campania, chaired by Gennaro Oliviero, has approved a resolution to request the abolition referendum of the Differentiated Autonomy, with 36 favorable votes from the centre-left majority councillors, Mixed Group, and the 5Star Movement (opposition to the Government), 9 votes against from the centre-right councillors, and the abstention of councillor Raffaele Maria Pisacane (Azione-Per). This decision, according to article 75 of the Constitution, affects the law recently approved on June 26, 2024, no. 86, for the implementation of differentiated regionalism for Regions with ordinary status, according to article 116, paragraph three, of the Constitution. The article 75 of the Constitution allows for an abolition referendum to be requested by 500,000 citizens or five Regional Councils. Campania is the first Region to take a step towards the abolition referendum, as provided by the Constitution, to try to repeal the Calderoli reform. The other four Regions governed by the centre-left (Emilia-Romagna, Sardinia, Puglia, and Tuscany) should also join in to reach the minimum number required by the Constitution, five, to request the convening of an abolition referendum. Emilian-Romagnol councillors should now converge on the text, with their assembly scheduled for the next few hours, followed by Cagliari, Bari, and Florence.
The request for the referendum will be presented and deposited by the President of the Regional Council of Campania, Gennaro Oliviero. As the Governor, Vincenzo De Luca, reminded in the chamber, “We are not making a decision to consolidate flags but to prevail with reason.” The goal is to “recreate a spirit of defense of Italy’s unity.” The Council also approved another resolution with 35 favorable votes to request an abolition referendum for some paragraphs of articles 1, 2, 3, 4, regarding matters related to the Essential Levels of Care (LEP) of the same law no. 86. This is to safeguard the referendum from a possible ruling of inadmissibility from the Consulta on total abolition, a hypothesis linked to the connections between the Calderoli bill and the budget law. The parties of the Campanian centre-right, in the debate in the chamber, accused the promoters of the referendum of aiming to consolidate the broad camp, recalling how the same centre-left was in favor of Autonomy in the past. “The reform of Title V – Vincenzo De Luca responded – was a dramatic mistake. It was a choice of weakness and opportunism; a majority choice, a mistake that created a precedent and the current government is repeating that mistake.” Concerns about the effects of the reform are also expressed by the President of the Calabria Region, the Forza Italia member Roberto Occhiuto, who reiterated his doubts during the party’s National Council. “My hope,” Occhiuto said, “is that Forza Italia will not vote, in the Council of Ministers and in Parliament, for any agreement with individual Regions if the Essential Levels of Care are not fully financed first, and if there is no absolute certainty that certain agreements could damage the South.”
In conclusion, the Regional Council of Campania approved a resolution to request the abolition referendum of the Differentiated Autonomy, following the approval of the law for the implementation of differentiated regionalism for Regions with ordinary status. The President of the Regional Council, Gennaro Oliviero, will present and deposit the request for the referendum. The Governor, Vincenzo De Luca, emphasized that the decision is not to consolidate flags but to prevail with reason and defend Italy’s unity. The Council also approved a resolution to request an abolition referendum for some paragraphs of the law related to the Essential Levels of Care. The centre-right parties in Campania accused the promoters of the referendum of aiming to consolidate the broad camp, while concerns about the reform’s effects were also expressed by the President of the Calabria Region, Roberto Occhiuto. Overall, the approval of these resolutions marks a significant step towards potentially repealing the Calderoli reform and safeguarding Italy’s unity. More Regions governed by the centre-left are expected to join in requesting the abolition referendum, as provided by the Constitution.
