Voters on the referendum took to the polls on Sunday and Monday, at the same time as local and regional elections were held.
Voters were asked whether to approve an amendment to the Italian Constitution, which would reduce the number of lawmakers in parliament from 630 to 400 in the Chamber of Deputies, and from 315 to 200 in the Senate.
The poll put the yes vote on 60-64 per cent compared to 36-40 per cent against.
The constitutional amendment was already approved by parliament and if confirmed, would take effect in 2023 during the next elections.
Meanwhile, regional elections were also held in Veneto, Campania, Tuscany, Liguria, Marche, Puglia and Valle d’Aosta.
Exit polls put the centre-right candidates ahead in Veneto, Liguria and Marche, and the centre-left candidates in front in Campania.
The contest in Puglia was even, according to the polls.
All eyes are on a decisive battle for Tuscany, which has been a leftwing stronghold for 50 years, but could swap the centre-left PD for far-right leader Matteo Salvini’s League party.
Tuscany’s result looked too close to call as the polls closed on Monday afternoon .
Exit polls put Eugenio Giani, the candidate for the centre-left, around three percentage points ahead of the League party’s Susanna Ceccardi, an MEP who has adopted Salvini’s “Italians first” motto.
The two-day vote went ahead despite a threatened resurgence of the coronavirus in Italy, which was the first country in Europe to go into lockdown and is now registering more than 1500 new cases daily.
With ANSA
