Italians voted to ban nuclear energy for decades on Monday in a referendum that was strongly influenced by Japan's Fukushima disaster but was also a strong political vote against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Official figures showed almost 95 per cent of votes cast were in favour of blocking a nuclear power revival in earthquake-prone Italy.
Turnout ran at about 57 per cent, according to the Interior Ministry, well above the 50 per cent quorum needed to validate four referendums, including the one on nuclear power.
The referendum abrogates a law passed last year restarting Italy's nuclear programme, which had previously been halted in 1987 by another referendum following the Chernobyl disaster.
The government, conscious of the backlash from Fukushima, had recently suspended the nuclear programme in an attempt to undermine the referendum.
But the vote was seen as ending any prospect of atomic energy in this country in the foreseeable future.
Source and full story: Cyprus Mail 15 June 2011
