Italy's Renzi says his political future depends on constitutional reform referendum

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Tuesday said his political future would depend on the result of a referendum on constitutional reforms that is expected to take place in late 2016.

A constitutional draft law to deeply reshape the country's profile and legislature was presented by Renzi's cabinet to the parliament in April 2014, and is currently going through a lengthy approval. Even if it were passed, the law would still need to be confirmed or rejected in a popular referendum.

"If I lose the referendum, I will consider my political experience to have failed," Renzi said during the customary year-end press conference held here. The referendum might take place in October 2016, the premier added.

The reform package would streamline legislative procedures and strengthen the government at the expense of the parliament by demoting the senate to a smaller, non-elected assembly.

The upper house would lose its current law-making equal status with the lower house and the power to vote on budgets and hold confidence motions on cabinets. Among other major changes, the package would affect the way the Italian president is elected, as well as the balance of power between central government and regional administrations.

Combined with a recently-approved new electoral law, the constitutional overhaul would help Italy overcome its long-standing political instability and become more efficient, according to the cabinet.

Opposition forces and also some members within Renzi's own Democratic Party argued the reform would instead undermine Italy's democracy by weakening the parliament and empowering the cabinet too much.

As required for all laws amending Italy's constitution, the bill is facing a complex approval process entailing two readings in each chamber of the parliament, with qualified majorities and in identical text, and at intervals of no less than three months.

At the press conference, Renzi also claimed his cabinet had succeeded in bringing the country out of a long stagnation, although the results achieved so far were nowhere near enough. "2015 was a good year, even exceeding our expectations," Renzi said.

"Twelve months ago, Italy was said to be stuck in permanent stagnation. Now, data show our gross domestic product (GDP) has grown 0.8 percent from the 0.7 percent we had forecast in 2014," Renzi said.

A job market reform was implemented in 2015, contributing to tackling the high unemployment, Renzi mentioned. Finally, he recalled the consumer confidence index grew to 117.6 this month from 99.7 in Dec. 2014 according to the National Institute for Statistics.

"This is another signal Italy is getting back on track," he said. Endit