nellastenersi

Nellastenersi is a term sometimes used in Italian-language discussions to denote the act of abstaining, particularly in formal decision-making contexts such as votes or deliberations. The standard Italian verb for this action is astenersi, and the more common expression is simply astenersi or si è astenuto. The form nellastenersi is nonstandard and is typically encountered as a typographical variant or in linguistic commentary rather than as an established term of law or procedure.

Etymology and usage notes: the construction resembles the usual Italian practice of combining in with a following verb (as in nell’uso, nell’ambito). In practice, Italian orthography would normally render the phrase as nell’astenersi (in abstaining) with an apostrophe. The concatenated form nellastenersi may appear in texts that omit the apostrophe or when discussing orthographic alternatives, but it is not the normative spelling in official documents.

In governance and parliamentary contexts, abstentions are a distinct category of participation. A member who abstains is not counted as voting yes or no, and abstentions can influence outcomes depending on the voting rules in place. Some systems require a majority of those present or of all members, and abstentions may effectively reduce the pool of active votes. In other jurisdictions, abstentions are recorded for transparency but do not affect the calculation of majorities in the same way.

See also: astensione, astenersi, voto, quorum, deliberazione.