The vote for the abrogative referendum cast by Italian citizens abroad closed on Sunday, 12 June, with the re-entry in Italy of a scheduled flight carrying the ballot papers from Venezuela and Panama, to be subsequently tallied by the Italian Court of Appeal.
This last flight was met at Fiumicino Airport by the Foreign Ministry’s Director General for Italians Abroad, Minister Plenipotentiary Luigi Maria Vignali: “We have just closed the voting operations relative to almost 5 million Italians abroad. Despite the difficulties due to the pandemic and the impact of war, the voting was held regularly after the referendum ballot papers were dispatched to every corner of the world, from the Fiji Islands to Barbados. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Farnesina’s diplomatic and consular staff who, through their exceptional spirit of service, have enabled our citizens around the world to exercise this fundamental constitutional right.”
The 4.8 million Italian voters residing in roughly 180 Countries around the world received their ballot papers at their home addresses over the past few days. Once they received the envelopes with the ballot papers, voters were asked to vote and mail the pre-stamped return envelopes containing the five ballot papers. Embassies and Consulates subsequently organized the flights to transport the electoral material to Rome. Between Friday 10 June and Sunday 12 June, 107 consular officers landed at Fiumicino Airport on roughly 80 different flights.
