Italians began voting Sunday in a referendum on whether to indefinitely shelve government plans to revive the country's nuclear energy plans, following the nuclear crisis at Japan 's Fukushima Daiichi plant.

The vote on whether to resurrect nuclear energy in Italy, which was halted in 1987, is part of a packet of referendums that also asks Italians to vote on the privatization of the country's water utilities and on whether to reject a controversial law approved by the conservative government last year that exempts top government officials from appearing in court if they face criminal trials.


Many here believe the law was tailor-made to help Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is facing four criminal trials, and therefore the fourth referendum is seen as a key political test for the premier's conservative coalition.

Referendums in Italy are usually aimed at repealing a law. In that case, for an referendum to be valid, more than 50% of the voting population must cast their ballots--a high bar that was last reached in a 1995 vote. As of 7 p.m. local time, some 30% of the population had cast their vote--a level that the referendums' backers said gave them hope of reaching a quorum. Voting takes place on Monday as well.

If a quorum is reached, it will largely be due to popular concerns over nuclear energy in the wake of the Fukushima accident.

Berlusconi has made restarting Italy 's atomic energy program by 2014 one of the key planks of his government's agenda. Like other European countries, Italy earlier this year imposed a moratorium on its nuclear plans in the wake of the Fukushima crisis, but the government is hoping to resurrect them longer-term by building several plants across the country.

Supporters argue that nuclear energy would cut electricity bills, reduce Italy 's energy dependency and help the environment. Opinion polls show, however, that nuclear power remains deeply unpopular among Italians.

"While the moratorium represents a hurdle to the nuclear energy industry, passage of the referendum would be a much more serious obstacle, all but guaranteeing a long-term setback to Italy 's ambitious plan to bring nuclear reactors online by 2020," analysts at research group Eurasia Group said.

The referendums have also become a hot political issue. The center-left opposition has widely campaigned for Italians to go to the polls, saying this is an opportunity to deal another blow to Berlusconi's government.

The premier's coalition was badly defeated in mayoral elections in the key cities of Milan and Naples last month.

In another referendum, Italians are being asked whether they want to scrap a law, approved in 2010, that allows the prime minister and other top officials to not show up in court for trials, because of busy governing schedules. Italy 's Constitutional Court earlier this year already weakened the law, saying judges can force top government officials to show up in court. If the referendum passes, it would scrap the law altogether.

Berlusconi, 74, is a defendant in four different criminal trials on charges of bribery, embezzlement, fraud and paying for sex with an underage woman and abusing his power to cover it up. He denies all the charges.

The last two votes in the referendum package focus on the privatization of Italy 's water utilities. The government says handing water management to the private sector is essential to improving service; opponents say it would lead to higher prices.

Political experts say that if a quorum is reached and if Italians vote to stop the government's nuclear plans, repeal the legal law and reject the privatization of water utilities, it would be a clear setback for Berlusconi's increasingly wobbly center-right majority.

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