Debate on Italian citizenship reform unlikely to resume

The bill on 'ius soli' (Latin for 'law of the soil') would grant citizenship rights to the children of regular immigrants who have spent at least five years in the Italian school system. The Senate debate was suspended just before Christmas because only 116 of the 319 Senators were present in the house and the vote was deferred to January 9. However it is likely that Parliament will be dissolved by then ahead of legislative elections in March.

Torchlight in front of the Chamber of Deputies to ask for the approval of the law on Ius Soli, the right of citizenship for migrants born or raised in Italy. Source: Stefano Montesi - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images