Italian voters reject Giorgia Meloni’s plan to overhaul judiciary

Original article by Angela Giuffrida in Rome

Italian voters have rejected an overhaul of the country’s judiciary pushed by the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, an outcome that is expected to tarnish her reputation and make winning next year’s general election more challenging.

In a two-day referendum, almost 54% of voters said no to the plans to reorganise the judiciary, compared with about 46% for the yes camp.

The result was driven by younger voters, with 61% of 18- to 34-year-olds snubbing the proposals, according to data from the pollster Opinio for the state broadcaster Rai. Days before the referendum, Meloni had turned to an irreverent podcast hosted by a rapper in an effort to sway young voters.

On Monday afternoon as the results came through, Meloni said: “The Italians have decided and we respect this decision. We will move forward, as we always have done, with responsibility, determination and respect towards the Italian people and Italy.”

Turnout reached a record-breaking 58.5%, according to data from the Italian interior ministry, contradicting ballot forecasts that it would be low.

Roberto D’Alimonte, a politics professor at Luiss University in Rome, said: “We’re all surprised by the level of the turnout. I’m very impressed.”

While the nature of the proposed changes, which would have required amendments to Italy’s post-fascism constitution, were technical and complex, the referendum campaign was mostly filled with inflammatory rhetoric from Meloni and her ministers towards the judiciary.

Meloni’s far-right government has proved unusually stable for Italy and since coming to power in October 2022 the prime minister has cultivated good working relations with many European leaders and Donald Trump. Her Brothers of Italy party, which has neofascist roots, leads in polls on about 30%, while Meloni rides high in personal opinion polls.

But this aura of invincibility is now damaged, analysts said. “Her standing is going to suffer,” D’Alimonte said. “She’s going to be a weaker prime minister.”

The referendum defeat will make it harder for Meloni’s ruling coalition to push forward with plans to pass an electoral law that could give the alliance a comfortable win in the 2027 general elections. It may also scupper Meloni’s other flagship policy, allowing the electorate to vote directly for the prime minister, a move that would also require a controversial constitutional change.

“This is her pet project,” said D’Alimonte of the direct election proposal. “That is sitting in parliament waiting for the outcome of this referendum. The loss means she is going to lose the leverage to push it through.”

He added: “The other thing is when you start losing in politics, you might face a change in the wind. People start looking at you differently. You’re not invincible. You made a mistake.”

The defeat comes at a particularly sensitive time, with the cost of living rising due to the widening conflict in the Middle East as a result of the US-Israeli war in Iran. Meloni has nurtured close relations with Trump and is ideologically in tune with him, while the majority of Italians are against the war and have a negative opinion of him.

“This is an unfavourable environment for Meloni,” D’Alimonte said. “You have gas and electricity bills going up, and her association with Trump is something that even her voters think is problematic, to say the least.”

The referendum outcome is expected to boost the fortunes of the opposition parties, which for the most part supported the no campaign, giving them a platform on which to unite and possibly build a credible force against Meloni.

“We did it – long live the constitution,” said Giuseppe Conte, the former prime minister who leads the Five Star Movement.