TEMPO.CO, Venice - Crimean referendum is not the only break-away call this week, as voting of referendum has begun in Venice its outskirts on Sunday. Around four million Venice electorates voted, with recent opinion polls suggesting two-thirds of them favor splitting from Rome. The poll was organized by local activists and parties, who want a future state called Republic of Veneto.
Luca Zaia, governor of Veneto, the Venice region, rejected suggestions that the Italian constitution would prevent secession. The governor said that the international law allowed "the right to self-determination".
The call for referendum recalls the sovereign Venetian republic that existed for more than 1,000 years. As a focal point for culture, architecture and trade at that time, Venice lost its independence to Napoleon in 1797. Venetian referendum as well reflects a growing separatist mood in parts of Europe, such as Spain's Catalonia region and Scotland.
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