Italian vote likely to be invalid

Rome - No more than 36 per cent of Italians turned out to vote in seven reform referendums yesterday and the results are likely…

Rome - No more than 36 per cent of Italians turned out to vote in seven reform referendums yesterday and the results are likely to be declared invalid, exit polls showed.

Preliminary figures issued by the interior ministry late last night showed that only one in three eligible voters went to the polls, a turnout of between 30.5 and 31.1 per cent. Final figures are to be released today. In Italy, a referendum needs 50 per cent of the electorate plus one to cast their ballots for the result to be deemed legitimate.