ROME: 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.
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.
“The Italians have decided and we respect this decision,” Meloni said in a message posted on social media.
“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 added, making clear she had no intention of resigning.
Turnout was much higher than expectedat 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.
MAGISTRATES SING ‘BELLA CIAO’ IN CELEBRATION
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.
The defeat strips Meloni of her aura of being a winner in the eyes of the Italian electorate after four years of victories in a string of local and national polls.
“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.
