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B2⚖️ Law & Politics

Italian word

referendum

a public vote on a specific question; in Italy: can be abrogative (to repeal a law) or constitutional

Looks like

referendum

a general vote by the electorate on a single political question

⚠️ The trap

The word is the same, but Italy's referendums work very differently. Italy has no confirmatory referendum — only 'referendum abrogativo' (to REPEAL laws, not create them) and constitutional referendums. Italian referendums also require a quorum of 50%+1 of eligible voters for validity, making them hard to pass.

To say "a general vote by the electorate on a single political question" in Italian:

referendum

"referendum" in English means:

a public vote on a specific question; in Italy: can be abrogative (to repeal a law) or constitutional

Example

"Il referendum abrogativo ha eliminato la legge."

"The abrogative referendum repealed the law."

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