Italy PM Berlusconi suffers referendum defeat‎

June 13, 2011 from Al Jazeera English

Italians were celebrating in Rome after voters dealt premier Silvio Berlusconi a serious political blow on Monday, overturning laws passed by his government to revive nuclear energy, privatise the water supply and help him avoid prosecution. Partial results from referendums on Monday showed clear majorities to throw out a water privatisation law, kill a law reviving nuclear energy and undo legislation offering the Italian leader a partial legal shield in criminal prosecutions. Voter turnout topped 57 per cent - safely above the 51 per cent needed to validate the vote. It is the first time since 1995 that a quorum has been reached. Anti-nuclear activists were celebrating in central Rome as the partial results were announced. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from Rome.

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Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, media proprietor, and Prime Minister of Italy (President of the Council of Ministers of Italy), a position he has held three times. He is the leader of the Forza Italia political movement, a centre-right party he founde... Explore this topic

Italy

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Southern Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two larg... Explore this topic

Referendum

A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal, usually a piece of legislation which has been passed into law by the local legislative body and was signed by the pertinent executive official. This may resul... Explore this topic

Nuclear power

Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provided about 5.7% of the world's energy and 13% of the world's electricity, in 2012. In 2013, the IAEA report that there are 437 operational nuclear power reactors, i... Explore this topic

Nuclear power in Italy

Nuclear power in Italy is a controversial topic. Italy started to produce nuclear energy in the early 1960s, but all plants were closed by 1990 following the Italian nuclear power referendum. An attempt to change the decision was made in 2008 by the government, which called th... Explore this topic

Water privatization

Water privatization is used here as a shorthand for private sector participation in the provision of water services and sanitation. Private sector participation in water supply and sanitation is controversial. Proponents of private sector participation argue that it has led to... Explore this topic

Rome

Rome is a city and special comune in Italy. Rome is the capital of Italy and also of Lazio. With 2.8 million residents in 1,285.3 km², it is also the country's largest and most populated comune and fifth-most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits... Explore this topic

Politics of Italy

The politics of Italy is conducted through a parliamentary, democratic republic with a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised collectively by the Council of Ministers, which is led by the President of the Council of Ministers, referred to as "Presidente del Consiglio... Explore this topic

Alan Fisher

Alan Fisher is a Scottish broadcast journalist, who works for international news channel, Al Jazeera English and is based at its News Centre in Washington DC. Explore this topic

Al Jazeera English

Al Jazeera English is an international 24-hour English-language news and current affairs TV channel headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It is the sister channel of the Arabic-language Al Jazeera. The station broadcasts news features and analysis, documentaries, live debates, current... Explore this topic

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Italy

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