Italian voters emphatically rejected a flagship judicial reform championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, dealing a blow to her right-wing coalition ahead of next year's general elections. Meloni posted on social media "clearly, we regret this missed opportunity to modernise Italy".
With most ballots counted after the March 22-23 referendum, the opposition-backed "No" bloc took almost 54% of the vote against 46% who approved of the government drive to rewrite the constitution and revamp Italy's fiercely independent judiciary.
Turnout was much higher than expected at almost 60%, with voters apparently energised by an ill-tempered campaign that laid bare deep animosity between the right-wing coalition and Italy's magistrates, that will leave lasting scars.
The referendum proposed separating the careers of judges and public prosecutors, and splitting magistrates' self-governing body into two sections, with members chosen by lot rather than elected. The government argued the changes were needed to make the judiciary more accountable for its mistakes and prevent politically motivated factions from controlling top jobs.
On social media platform X, Meloni said "The Italians have decided and we respect this decision. Clearly, we regret this missed opportunity to modernise Italy, but this does not change our commitment to keep working seriously and resolutely for the good of the nation".
She signalled that she does not plan on resigning in light of the defeat.
Around 50 magistrates gathered in the courthouse of the southern city of Naples to follow the count and started singing the anti-fascist anthem of resistance "Bella Ciao" when it became clear the government had lost.
"When a leader loses their magic touch, everyone starts to doubt them, and there is one thing they absolutely cannot do. They can't pretend it is business as usual," said Matteo Renzi, who himself quit as prime minister in 2016 after losing a referendum on his own constitutional reform agenda.
Italian politicians have tried on numerous occasions to alter aspects of the constitution, but have almost always failed.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Monday (23 March) that Britain must plan for the poss...
The fallout from U.S. President Donald Trump's comment saying he had productive talks with Iran continues. Tehran denies they have happened.&nb...
Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, the Israeli military said, after U.S. President Donald Trump post...
Australia and the European Union signed a trade deal on Tuesday that was eight years in the maki...
Italian voters emphatically rejected a flagship judicial reform championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni...
Italy is voting on 22 and 23 March in a judicial reform referendum that could reshape the justice system and test Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s political strength ahead of the 2027 general election.
The Colosseum in Rome has reopened its southern corridors as a public square following a four-year restoration, giving visitors free access to a long-lost part of the ancient monument. The newly restored area was unveiled on Tuesday (17 March).
Two people were killed and around 40 injured when a tram derailed in central Milan on Friday (27 February), a spokesperson for the local fire service said.
Switzerland said on Wednesday (25 February) it would make a one-off payment of 50,000 Swiss francs ($56,000) to each severely injured survivor and to the bereaved families of those killed in the New Year bar fire at the ski resort of Crans-Montana.
The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, in an incident that closed the airport, authorities and U.S. media said.
Trump says U.S. found “major points of agreement” with Iran and has paused strikes on Iranian power plants, but Tehran denies any direct talks or negotiations, contradicting U.S. claims - latest on Middle East conflict.
Iran has launched long-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles towards the joint U.S.-UK military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, in what Israeli officials said was a major escalation in the war.
Georgia bid farewell to Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II on Sunday (22 March). He was considered one of the most influential spiritual leaders in the country’s modern history.
Cuba’s national power grid went down on Saturday, cutting electricity for millions, officials said. The outage marks the second nationwide blackout in a week and the third major grid failure in March.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Monday (23 March) that Britain must plan for the possibility that the Iran war could continue for some time, and added that he had no "meaningful concerns" about energy supply.
Australia and the European Union signed a trade deal on Tuesday that was eight years in the making, removing tariffs for almost all European goods and for nearly all exports of Australian critical minerals.
Investigators probing the deadly collision of an Air Canada Express jet with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia airport said on Monday they wanted to interview an air traffic controller who was juggling another emergency in the run-up to the crash.
A Colombian military plane carrying 128 passengers crashed during a takeoff on Monday (23 March) from Puerto Leguizamo, on the border with Peru, killing 66 people, as rescuers shuttled dozens of survivors to nearby hospitals and searched for four who were still missing, according to a top official.
As Denmark gears up for a general election on 24 March, opinion polls show a narrow lead for Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, whose numbers have been boosted by her firm stance against U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to annex Greenland to the U.S.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment