You can find this item on the PSI website
Following PSI's call for assistance, we are pleased to announce that the results of the referendum are a victory for PSI affiliates in Italy.
Italians voted in a nationwide referendum on 12-13 June to reject the privatisation of water services, to reject plans to expand the use of nuclear energy, and to limit Prime Minister Berlusconi's legal impunity. Water privatization was rejected by an astonishing 25 million votes to 1 million - a majority of 96%.
The vote was the result of years of organised campaigning by Public Services International affiliate Funzione Pubblica CGIL, working in regional and national alliances with various civil society organisations. Under the previous government, the campaign had worked to support a law which would have made water privatization illegal. When that government was replaced by the current Berlusconi regime, they transformed the campaign into a demand for a referendum on Berlusconi’s law requiring privatization of water and other public services.
There had to be a 50% turnout for the referendum to be valid - and the Italian government had urged people not to bother voting at all. But over 57% of Italians supported the campaign by exercising their right to vote. The result was a victory for democracy, too.
PSI helped this campaign in a number of ways. PSI’s global campaign against water privatization provided constant support and impetus for the movement in Italy, as in other countries. PSI’s specialist research unit PSIRU contributed many briefings and made many presentations for the campaign. And PSI helped increase the turnout of voters by encouraging affiliate members of Italian origin living abroad to vote in this referendum.
Check out the campaign website (especially the excellent video)
Watch an interview with Emanuele Lobina, PSIRU (in Italian)
Read this interesting article from Al Jazeera
Also see in Asia Paific Region , ASU news item at http://www.asu.asn.au/media/international/20110524_italy.html
( all above news from ASU web site www.asu.asn.au)
