A TREMOR of magnitude 4.5 shook central Italy on November 29th, rattling areas that had been devastated by heavier quakes weeks earlier. It was a reminder that there is much to fear in the bel paese: seismic shocks, organised crime and, most urgently, the outcome of a constitutional referendum on December 4th.
The referendum will endorse or reject changes that include drastically reducing the powers of the Senate. And future Italian governments would have a much firmer grip on parliament since a new electoral law engineers for the leading party—even one that secures only a modest plurality—an assured majority in the lower house (the Chamber of Deputies). The prime minister, Matteo Renzi, argues that this streamlined legislature is essential in order to pass the structural reforms that Italy’s sluggish economy needs.
Many fear the changes remove needed checks and balances, granting the government too much power. They would make it easier for the prime minister to determine who becomes president, and thus influence who sits in the constitutional court. (Most of its…