The cabinet of Premier Matteo Renzi decided Monday a national referendum over whether to accept or reject the government's constitutional reform law will be held December 4. The reform has already been approved by parliament, but Italy's Constitution says any laws amending the Charter must be ratified by popular referendum if they were approved by less than a two-thirds majority in each house of parliament.
Premier Matteo Renzi has staked his political credibility on pushing the reform through and could quit if he loses the referendum on the revamp of the country's political machinery, which includes reducing the Senate into a leaner assembly of local-government representatives with limited powers to cut costs and streamline Italy's notoriously ponderous method of passing legislation.
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