Italy's Renzi says "No" win "blessing" for status-quo politicians

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Tuesday the victory of a "No" vote on a Dec. 4 referendum on his government's constitutional reform law would be a "blessing" to a political class who has no intention of relinquishing its privileges.

"A 'No' victory would be a gigantic free pass for generations of future politicians, who will be allowed to keep the status quo and continue with their back-room deals and sordid little coalitions, just so they can survive," Renzi said.

"A 'No' win would be a blessing for them," he added. "But if we win, the country ... will emerge from the quick-sands of bureaucracy that have choked its development thus far."

The young reformist premier has been touring Italy from South to North in a bid to attract undecided voters from both the left and the right side of the political spectrum.

Renzi, who took office in February 2014 and turns 42 in January, repeated earlier in the day that he intends to quit if a majority of the Italian people reject his landmark reform come Dec. 4.

He also rebuffed a comment from the leader of the opposition 5-Star Movement (M5S), Beppe Grillo, who accused the premier's center-left Democratic Party (PD) of flailing about "like a wounded sow".

"Would it have made any difference to him if we were a healthy sow?" Renzi quipped. He went on to urge voters not to be fooled and to "read the (referendum) question".

On Dec. 4, Italians will be called to answer "yes" or "no" on a question that reads: "Do you approve a constitutional law concerning the scrapping of the bicameral system (of parliament), reducing the number of MPs, containing the operating costs of public institutions, abolishing the National Council on Economy and Labor (CNEL), and amending Title V of the Constitution Part II?"

Title V concerns local government and Italy's 100 provinces, which the reform would abolish because they are redundant and expensive. The CNEL has 64 councillors and a president.

Most importantly, the reform would reduce the Senate from 315 to 100 members and do away with the equal powers between the Upper and Lower Houses of parliament.

Italy's current system has been held responsible for Italy's notorious tendency to political gridlock. Endit