Italian electoral law referendum fails to reach quorum (Roundup)

Rome - A bid in Italy to give larger political parties more power failed Monday, with a referendum on the issue set to be declared invalid due to low voter turnout. According to Interior Ministry figures, just over 22 per cent of the 50.5 million eligible voters cast ballots before polls closed on Monday afternoon - well short of the 50 per cent required for a legal quorum. Voters had been asked to approve or reject changes to the electoral law that could have paved the way for a two-party system, limiting the traditional role in Italy of smaller parties to play king-makers in the formation of coalition governments. A 'yes' vote would also have barred candidates from running in more than one constituency. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi initially backed the initiative, but did not campaign following pressure from the junior partner in his conservative coalition, the mostly regional based, anti-immigration Northern League party. The referendum result was 'quite predictable,' said parliamentary lower-house Chamber of Deputies speaker, Gianfranco Fini, adding that voters were put off by 'questions that were too technical.' 'Secondly, I think that the decision by voters not to participate, signals a certain fatigue with political debate and with the workings of democracy. We should all reflect on this,' Fini said. Since 1996, a series of referendums, including proposals to ease in vitro fertilization restrictions and to ban hunting, have all failed due to low voter turnouts. Also Monday, polls closed in several local run-off elections, with Italy's main centre-left opposition seeking some respite from recent setbacks in local polls and in European elections. In particular, the centre-left is trying to hold onto the province of Milan, one of its last remaining strongholds in Italy's north where the centre-right dominates. The centre-left is also seeking to keep control of the cities of Bologna, Florence, and southern city of Bari, where much of Italy's attention is currently focused due to a probe on the alleged payment of women to attend parties hosted by Berlusconi. The scandal has hit the 72-year-old media magnate turned billionaire, less than three weeks before he is set to host a summit of the Group of Eight most advanced economies. Berlusconi, dismissing as 'trash' newspaper reports on the probe, has rejected opposition calls to resign and says he still has the support of the majority of Italians.