 Other allegations were made about voter manipulation, and even the issue of how to interpret the votes became controversial, as it appeared that not just a majority of those validly voting but of those votes cast (including spoiled votes), was needed to reach an outcome in the event the monarchy lost by a tight margin.In the 2 June 1946 referendum, a 52% majority voted to make Italy a republic.The conservative, rural "Mezzogiorno" (southern Italy) region voted solidly for the monarchy while the more urbanised and industrialised "Nord" (northern Italy) voted equally firmly for a republic.