Politicians are not usually renowned for resembling turkeys voting for Christmas, but Italy is holding a referendum today and tomorrow for the public to decide on an unusual proposition: to cut the number of parliamentarians.

Across the country, voters are being asked to approve or reject plans for a significant cut in the number of lawmakers, from 630 to 400 in Italy's lower house and from 315 to 200 in the upper house. 

It's a tellingly direct result of the wave of populist politics which has swept across Europe in the past decade. The measure has been championed by the anti-establishment 5 Star Movement, which was formed in 2009 by a comedian and a web strategist. At the 2018 general election, 5 Star won more votes and seats than any other party and is now embedded in the ruling coalition.

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Cutting the numbers of politicians was a central plank of 5 Star's successful campaign, and the movement insisted upon it before joining the coalition – although other parties have been decidedly lukewarm about the proposition. 

Critics of the suggested move, which 5 Star heralded as cutting not just tax costs but the "privileges" of the lawmaking sector, say the reduction would reduce Italy's democratic representation. It would cut the current ratio of 1.6 lawmakers per 100,000 population to one, compared to Germany's 0.9 per 100,000, France's 1.4 and the UK's 2.1. 

That said, the comparison is not quite that straightforward: members of the UK's upper house are not elected, unlike Italy's, while Germany also has 16 powerful state parliaments with more than 1,800 representatives. 

However, the numbers add up in other countries, the important number-crunching for Italy will be done after the polls close at 3 p.m. local time on Monday. The public are also voting on various regional elections, but 5 Star – which doesn't run any of the regions – is pinning its hopes on the referendum.

If the motion doesn't pass, it will be seen as a major defeat for 5 Star and perhaps even for populism – but the early signs are that the public will vote in favor, signaling a new change in Italian politics.