First major setback for Meloni: the 'no' vote on judicial reform prevails in Italy

RomeWith more than 53.5% of the votes, Italy rejected a controversial justice reform promoted by the government of Giorgia MeloniThe referendum, held this Sunday and Monday, was intended to amend several articles of the Constitution, but it has ended up becoming a plebiscite on the Prime Minister's performance, resulting in her first major defeat at the polls since her election in 2022. "BK_SLT_LNA~" promised: to push through a judicial reform that was written in our electoral program. "We defended it to the very end, and then we left the choice in the hands of the citizens," Meloni stated in a video posted on social media, acknowledging the initiative's failure. The separation of the careers of judges and prosecutors was one of the most controversial issues introduced by the reform. The technicalities of the first weeks of the campaign gave way to mutual attacks between the government, the opposition, and the judiciary, which largely opposed a reform it feared would jeopardize the independence of the judiciary. "If the reform is not approved, we will find ourselves with even more negligent judges advancing in their careers and even more surreal decisions affecting the lives of citizens." "Illegal immigrants, rapists, pedophiles, and drug traffickers released from prison will sow chaos without any legal consequences," the victim went so far as to say, justifying a constitutional reform that included the creation of a court exclusively to judge the professional or ethical misconduct of judges.

Following the defeat at the polls, the leader of Brothers of Italy reiterated that she "respects the decision made by the citizens," but ruled out calling early elections. "There is clearly sadness over a lost opportunity to modernize Italy, but that does not change our commitment to continue working, with seriousness and determination, for the good of the nation and to honor the mandate entrusted to us," she concluded.

Opposition to Meloni emerges strengthened

He No The majority vote for the Prime Minister's flagship project strengthens the Italian opposition, which has been working for months to create a progressive front to challenge Meloni in the legislative elections scheduled for next year. Meloni remains a fairly popular leader in Italy, but it remains to be seen what effect the referendum result will have. In this context, the leader of the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, has seized upon the success at the polls to challenge the secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, and propose open primaries among representatives of the various progressive forces. "This democratic spring is focused on participation. Citizens want to choose," said Conte, for whom the Italian people's vote in the referendum is a "notice of eviction" for Meloni. "The country demands an alternative, and we have the responsibility to build it," the PD leader responded, accepting the challenge. Schlein asserted that Italians rejected "a flawed reform" and "a presumptuous government." "We have won! An even sweeter victory because we started from a predicted defeat, but we managed to turn the result around," celebrated the opposition leader, who emphasized that the youth vote was fundamental, as was the rejection by a large part of the conservative electorate. "There were more right-wing voters who voted against it than for it," she noted.

The reform proposed separating the careers of judges and prosecutors into two different bodies, with two superior councils of the judiciary, in which some members would be chosen by Parliament and others by lottery. According to the government, the objective was to eliminate ideological currents within the governing body of judges and guarantee their impartiality, while for the opposition, the reform subjected the judiciary to the executive branch and jeopardized the separation of powers. According to analysts, the high turnout, especially in the northern and central regions of the country and among young people, who voted overwhelmingly against the proposal, will have repercussions for the government's agenda. Meloni will not resign, but some of the campaign promises still pending, such as the new electoral law or the introduction of differentiated autonomy, will most likely have to wait.