Brussels –3,951,447 ballot envelopes had been sent by the Embassies and Consulates to the Italians living abroad, including those locally added in conformity with the law. The offices have received back 782,709 envelopes, accounting for 19.81% of those sent. Those the communications of the Foreign Ministry. In Europe the percentage of returned envelopes amount to 19.4%; while in South America is 21.59%; for North and Central America the figure is 17.91%; and in the Africa-Asia-Oceania area the percentage is 16.56%. The percentage of voters who actually voted is calculated by the Central Office for Foreign Constituency, on completion of counting procedures. 193 Embassies and Consulates operating in the world had already confirmed since February to have carried out all the necessary steps to guarantee the right of voting by mail to the about 4 million Italian voters living abroad, as well as to other 3,337 citizens temporarily abroad that from this consultation have been able to vote by correspondence for the first time. The vote was assured in 248 States and foreign territories where Italian voters live. A special task force was set up at the Foreign Ministry. The task force cooperated with the Ministry of Interior to coordinate the electoral operations and the implementation of the organizational measures needed to assure the voting by correspondence provided by the law. (9Colonne)
