{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is a legitimate description when the title is already adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]] --> {{Politics of Italy}}
A five-part referendum was held in [[Italy]] on 17 and 18 May 1981.<ref name=NS>[[Dieter Nohlen]] & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1048 {{ISBN|978-3-8329-5609-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bardi |first=Luciano |date=1981 |title=Italy says 'no': The referendums of may 1981 |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/01402388108424337 |journal=West European Politics |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=282–285 |doi=10.1080/01402388108424337 |issn=0140-2382|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The proposals included repealing laws on public order, life sentences, gun licences, and abortion. All were rejected by voters, with no proposal receiving more than 32% of the vote.<ref>Nohlen & Stöver, pp1056-1057</ref>
==Abortion abrogative referendums== Two referendums were held on the new ''Law 194'', which had legalized abortion. The first referendum was called by the [[Radical Party (Italy)|Radical Party]], which asked more liberalization abolishing all the remaining limits to the free choice of the women. The second was called by [[Italian Christian Democracy|Christian Democracy]] and the [[Catholic Church]] and its related movements for life, trying to restore the ban on abortion.
===Results=== ====Liberalising abortion laws==== {| class=wikitable style=text-align:right !Choice !Votes !% |- |align=left|Yes||3,588,995||11.6 |- |align=left|{{Nay}} No||27,395,909||88.4 |- |align=left|Invalid/blank votes||3,285,296||– |- |align=left|'''Total'''||'''34,270,200'''||'''100''' |- |align=left|Registered voters/turnout||43,154,682||79.4 |- |align=left colspan=3|Source: Nohlen & Stöver |}
====Prohibiting abortion==== {| class=wikitable style=text-align:right !Choice !Votes !% |- |align=left|Yes||10,119,797||32.0 |- |align=left|{{Nay}} No||21,505,323||68.0 |- |align=left|Invalid/blank votes||2,651,999||– |- |align=left|'''Total'''||'''34,277,119'''||'''100''' |- |align=left|Registered voters/turnout||43,154,682||79.4 |- |align=left colspan=3|Source: Nohlen & Stöver |}
Although both referendums were rejected, and the percentages of support of the Catholic question was higher than the percentages of the Radical one, the result was generally seen as a victory for the Radical Party, which won at least one referendum in a country considered highly influenced by the [[Catholic Church]]. The referendum on prohibiting abortion won in one region - [[Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol]], specifically the [[South Tyrol]]/Bolzano province.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Referendum 17/05/1981 Area ITALIA Regione TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE Provincia BOLZANO |url=https://elezionistorico.interno.gov.it/index.php?tpel=F&dtel=17/05/1981&tpa=I&tpe=P&lev0=0&levsut0=0&lev1=4&levsut1=1&lev2=14&levsut2=2&ne1=4&ne2=14&es0=S&es1=S&es2=S&es3=N&ms=S&ne3=0 |website=Eligendo Archivio - Ministero dell'Interno DAIT}}</ref>
==Police powers abrogative referendum== A third referendum was held on repealing the ''Reale Law'', which had been the subject of a [[1978 Italian referendums|referendum in 1978]]. The referendum was called by the [[Radical Party (Italy)|Radical Party]], but was only partially supported by the [[Italian Socialist Party]].
===Results=== {| class=wikitable style=text-align:right !Choice !Votes !% |- |align=left|Yes||4,636,809||14.9 |- |align=left|{{Nay}} No||26,524,667||85.1 |- |align=left|Invalid/blank votes||3,095,721||– |- |align=left|'''Total'''||'''34,257,197'''||'''100''' |- |align=left|Registered voters/turnout||43,154,682||79.4 |- |align=left colspan=3|Source: Nohlen & Stöver |}
The referendum was rejected by the Italian electors, following the positions of all the parties of the so-called [[Constitutional Arch]].
==Life imprisonment abrogative referendum== A fourth referendum was called by the [[Radical Party (Italy)|Radical Party]] asking voters to reject [[life imprisonment]] as the highest level of punishment for crimes.{{Clarify|reason=what was the context? To make it possible to have death sentences?|date=August 2025}}
===Results=== {| class=wikitable style=text-align:right !Choice !Votes !% |- |align=left|Yes||7,114,719||22.6 |- |align=left|{{Nay}} No||24,330,954||77.4 |- |align=left|Invalid/blank votes||2,831,521||– |- |align=left|'''Total'''||'''34,277,194'''||'''100''' |- |align=left|Registered voters/turnout||43,154,682||79.4 |- |align=left colspan=3|Source: Nohlen & Stöver |}
==Gun licence abrogative referendum== The last referendum was called by the [[Radical Party (Italy)|Radical Party]] asking voters to repeal the law on licences to guns, allowing the [[police]] to give weapons to some high-risking citizens, thereby banning all citizens from owning guns.
===Results=== {| class=wikitable style=text-align:right !Choice !Votes !% |- |align=left|Yes||4,423,426||14.1 |- |align=left|{{Nay}} No||26,995,173||85.9 |- |align=left|Invalid/blank votes||2,856,777||– |- |align=left|'''Total'''||'''34,275,376'''||'''100''' |- |align=left|Registered voters/turnout||43,154,682||79.6 |- |align=left colspan=3|Source: Nohlen & Stöver |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Italian elections}}
[[Category:Referendums in Italy]] [[Category:1981 referendums|Italian]] [[Category:1981 elections in Italy|Referendums]] [[Category:May 1981 in Europe|Italian referendums]] [[Category:1981 in women's history|Italian referendums]] [[Category:Abortion referendums in Europe]]