Roundup: Italy's crucial constitutional referendum to be held on Dec. 4

Italy will hold a national referendum on a constitutional reform on Dec. 4, the Italian cabinet announced on Monday.

The political appointment was seen as crucial, since the future of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's center-left government might also depend on its outcome.

The reform was passed by the parliament in April, after six consecutive readings in both chambers; a special approval process is in fact required in Italy for any provision aimed at amending the constitution.

A popular consultation to confirm or repel the reform law was also needed, however, since the necessary qualified majorities were not reached during the parliament voting.

If approved also in the referendum, the reform would deeply change Italy's institutional profile and law-making process.

Under the reform scheme, Italy will drop the so-called "perfect bicameralism" system, which has been effective in the country since its constitution entered into force in 1948.

The senate will be demoted into an assembly in charge of regional affairs, and stripped of its current law-making equal status with the chamber of deputies. As such, it will lose the power to vote on budgets and other major legislation, and to bring down the cabinet with no-confidence motions.

However, it would maintain its prerogatives on constitutional and electoral laws, and European treaties.

The assembly's seats will be cut to 100 from the current 315. Future senators would be selected among elected members of regional assemblies and mayors, and serve for free.

According to the cabinet, the reform would increase the stability of Italy's fragmented political system, and improve the efficiency of the institutions overall by streamlining the law-making process.

The legislative proceeding would indeed be shortened, since most bills will not need to shuttle from one chamber to the other until both agree on an identical text, as it happens now.

The cabinet would also be strengthened at partial expense of the parliament, as it will need the confidence vote of the chamber of deputies only.

Yet, the constitutional overhaul remains highly controversial in the country, and large sections of the society and some major opposition forces have taken position against its approval.

Recent opinion polls showed the two opposite sites as being virtually neck and neck, making the outcome of the upcoming consultation highly unpredictable so far.

Since last year, Renzi had repeatedly declared he would resign in case of negative outcome, as such contributing to "personalizing" the vote.

More recently, however, he tried to detach his own political carrier from the result of the referendum, in an effort to make the campaign focus more on the specific contents of the proposed reform.

Originally, government sources had said the referendum might take place in October.

The decision to set the date in early December might now depend on the cabinet's will to gain more time, and persuade the doubtful electorate, local media suggested.

"There is no special reason (for setting such date)," Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Minister Claudio De Vincenti told a press conference after the cabinet's meeting.

"Anyway, we believe from now to Dec. 4 there will be time enough to carry on a deep dialogue with citizens over the content of the reform," he added. Endit