The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes.
Originally meant as administrative districts of the central state, the regions acquired a significant level of autonomy following a constitutional reform in 2001. A further federalist reform was proposed by the regionalist party Lega Nord and in 2005, the centre-right government led by Silvio Berlusconi proposed a new reform of the Constitution that would have entailed greatly increasing the powers of all regions. In June 2006 the proposals, which had been particularly associated with the Lega Nord, and seen by some as leading the way to a federal state, were rejected in a referendum by 61.7% to 38.3%. The results varied considerably from one region to another, ranging to 55.3% in favour in Veneto to 82% against in Calabria.
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