Camillo De PellegrinThe mayor of Val di Zoldo, in Veneto, has once again criticized the system of recognizing Italian citizenship by right of blood, the so-called jure sanguinis.
In an interview with the newspaper Il Gazzettino a sort of informal spokesperson for the activist mayor —, he again criticized the financial and administrative impact caused by the participation of Italians living abroad in the city's electoral process.
According to De Pellegrin, just to send 1.600 cards with transportation benefits to voters outside of Italy, the municipality spent more than 3.500 euros on postage. The mailings reached countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and Guatemala, allowing Italian citizens residing there to vote in the regional elections.
“More than 3.500 euros in stamps and three employees dedicated to stamping and labeling cards that, for the most part, will be returned in the coming months with the message 'not delivered',” the mayor stated. “Long live Italy with taxpayers' money,” he added, in a critical tone.
Speaking of wasting taxpayers' money, the common The Val di Zoldo post office serves the population only 18 hours a week. For comparison, the city's post office, which sent the letters to the voters, operates 31 hours and 30 minutes a week—almost double.
The AIRE — Registry of Italians Residing Abroad — allows Italians living outside the country to maintain civil rights, such as the right to vote.
De Pellegrin links the problem to the ease with which Italian citizenship is granted to descendants, mainly from Latin America. “One of the many distorted effects of the citizenship phenomenon…” jure sanguinis", said.
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