MILAN (Sputnik) — The preliminary data showed on Sunday that over 95 percent of residents of Italy's Lombardy region voted in favor of greater autonomy for the region during a non-binding referendum, President of Lombardy Roberto Maroni said.
"About one third of ballots have been processed and over 95 percent of voters said 'yes' and about 3 percent voted against… I am satisfied with the fact that the turnout exceeded 40 percent," Maroni told reporters.
Lombardy and neighboring Veneto were holding consultative non-binding plebiscites on Sunday on the autonomy of both regions, for the first time in modern Italian history.
The turnout in Veneto exceeded 50 percent, indicating that the vote results will be recognized as valid according to Veneto’s regional law on autonomy referendum.
