New proposals recommend citizenship and vote for foreigners

[Strengthandhonour]

Rome, August 3 - Proposals to grant immigrants the vote and make it easier for them to become citizens are indications Italy is catching up with other countries, Welfare Minister Paolo Ferrero said on Thursday .

Announcing that the government would discuss the proposed changes in a Friday cabinet meeting, he said the moves "will introduce those civilized principles that have existed elsewhere for some time" .

"Democracy is impossible without universal laws," he continued. "Anyone living in a country, working there and paying taxes, must have the right to become a citizen of that country after five years, and must have voting rights" .

In an apparent jab at the former centre-right governing coalition - which introduced tougher entry requirements for foreigners at the urging of two of its allies, the Northern League and the National Alliance - he suggested that it might now pay the political price for its policies .

"Those politicians who reaped benefits from the public by inciting fear and discrimination towards immigrants must take into account the electoral impact of such moves," he said .

The proposals being examined by the cabinet on Friday were unveiled by Interior Minister Giuliano Amato last month .

They include the right to citizenship after five years living in Italy legally, certain voting rights, and the right to bring specified family members into the country, including children under the age of 18, dependent parents and disabled or sick relatives .

Between 1.5 and 1.8 million foreigners living in the country are expected to take advantage of the new measures if approved .

According to Amato, most of the proposals are designed to implement outstanding European Union directives, although some of them go a step further, such as the granting of citizenship .

Meanwhile, the Democratic Left, the largest party in the centre-left governing coalition, has separately tabled a bill that would give foreigners the right to vote in municipal elections .

Ferrero on Thursday said the bill may not be needed if Amato's immigration package is approved in its entirety .

The proposals, part of a general overhaul of Italy's immigration legislation promised by the centre left during its election campaign, have been greeted with concern by the opposition .

Northern League senator, Ettore Pirovano, suggested that granting foreigners the right to vote was impossible without "changing the constitution" .

Another prominent League member Dario Galli, the party's deputy-whip in the Senate, said they would "deal the final blow to what remains of Italian civilization" .

"[The centre left] is now trying to ensure massive immigration, better still if it's Islamic," he added .

Roberto Calderoli, Deputy Senate Speaker and the League's coordinator, said the moves were a ploy by the centre left to snare more votes and protect its slim parliamentary margin .

"The left is willing to risk our identity and our security by opening the doors to uncontrolled and uncontrollable immigration, just to hang onto power," he said .

The Council of State, Italy's highest administrative court, last year rejected a move by Genoa to allow immigrants to vote in municipal elections, saying only central government had the power to extend voting rights .

In the wake of Genoa's move five cities, including Turin and Florence, tried to set up immigrant voting in low-level district polls, while Pisa began examining the idea of allowing foreigners to vote in provincial elections .

In 2004, Rome held separate elections for foreigners to elect "advisors" on the city council. These representatives have no powers of their own and are only allowed to offer opinions on policy .

A recent poll by research institute Iref found that almost 60% of foreigners living in Italy said they thought voting rights would help them feel more integrated and "less foreign" .


© Copyright ANSA. All rights reserved 2006-08-03 18:40
http://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2006-08-03_1037629.html

[ewald steiner]

Madness and insanity are progressive degenerative diseases. Could it be that the Italian nervous system is beyond repair ? A manic worship of Africans and Asians is sweeping the peninsula. A worship inspired by the media, academia, religious institutions, centers of learning; it is as if all of these influential bodies are in a conspiracy to involute and regress evolution. The downside of such myopic and obtuse policies is that the damage and corrosion to the social fabric of the nation will befall as a leper's legacy not to the current perpetrators and directors of the funeral cortege of the nation, but to the next generation.

Short of a violent overthrow of the incumbent papuliferous parasites in parliament there can be no alternate policy to this " soft genocide".

Since the end of the second WW, Italy, practically ,was an anarchic, leftist domain; but at least it had remain Italian. Now it seems they have grown tired of being Italians, and , now , gang of politicians acting like drug addicts are sinking lower and lower in thrashing the country and its native peoples to new depths of despair.

[Strengthandhonour]

Well Ewald, I am not going to come out and claim that Italy is the brightest one in europe as far as Politics, but from my travels and stories heard from friends, Italy is not as in bad shape with multi-culti garbage like France or the UK.
Most of the Italian problems seem to be in the north, Cities like Bologna are famous for their communist support and since the north is more industruous than the south, it is a more attractive spot for immigrants to visit.
The south is more rural and farm-like, the cities aren't as massive as the northern ones. There is still immigrants, but the people tend to be more conservative and reserved with their views.
I think Berlusconi blew it, I wasn't necesarily a fanatic of him, but he did better than a lot of others, he just failed when it came to economics. Italians are often struggling with money, so it was either stay with Berlusconi and keep hoping for money or give the vafanculo of Prodi a choice,we know what happened.
I can assure you the following though, Italy is far from being ashamed of it's roots and culture, and the victory of the world cup was a soft reminder of the greatness of being Italian