Italy’s Referendum Another 'Case of Dissatisfaction With Politics as Usual'

Italy's constitutional referendum on Sunday was another demonstration of citizen discontent with governments pursuing politics as usual, ranking Democrat on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Sunday, 59.11 percent of voters opposed Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's proposal to curtail Senate powers in order to speed up the lawmaking process.

"I think, it shows that there is a lot of dissatisfaction around the world with politics as usual, and I think that’s manifesting itself in Italy, it’s manifested in Britain, it’s manifested in the United States, it’s manifested in other places," Engel stated on Monday. "[L]eaders have to understand that they have to listen to the people."

Earlier in the day, Renzi vowed to resign after Italians voted against the proposed reform.