Giachetti to vote in April 17 referendum (2)

(ANSA) - Rome, April 6 - Rome Democratic Party (PD) mayoral candidate and Deputy House Speaker Roberto Giachetti said Wednesday he will vote in an April 17 anti-offshore drilling referendum. Premier Matteo Renzi, who is also the PD chief, has said of the referendum "I hope it fails" and said "abstaining (from the vote) is sacrosanct and legitimate". The referendum has been called by regions and environmentalists concerned about the impact of the drills on Italy's delicate marine ecosystem, on which the tourist and the fishing sectors depend.
    Giachetti was one of several mayoral candidates - including Rome rival candidate Stefano Fassina (an ex PD man who joined the splinter Italian Left party), independent Naples mayoral candidate Luigi de Magistris, and all the candidates from the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) - who responded to a call from the environmentalist Green Italia party.
    "Giachetti's position is significant because it goes against the line of his own party, which is boycotting the referendum by urging voters to abstain," said Green Italia members Roberto Della Seta and Francesco Ferrante. "No matter which way he votes, we consider his decision to participate... as an act of democratic responsibility and foresight".
    A 'yes' vote on the referendum is a vote against offshore oil and gas drilling in Italy's seas.