Italy: Giorgia Meloni defeated in key justice referendum

The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suffered a major political setback after the rejection by referendum of his reform of the judicial system, a central project of his program.

According to near-final results, the "no" camp won with approximately 54% of the vote, compared to 46% for those in favor of the reform. The reform aimed, in particular, to amend the Constitution and reorganize a judicial system renowned for its independence.

The turnout, close to 60%, turned out to be higher than expected, demonstrating the importance of the vote and the strong mobilization of voters around this controversial reform.

Despite this defeat, Giorgia Meloni affirmed that she would not resign, declaring that she respected the verdict of the ballot box while regretting a "missed opportunity" to modernize the country.

This result represents the first significant setback for the head of government since coming to power and could weaken her coalition as the next elections approach.

The center-left opposition, which supported the rejection of the reform, sees this vote as an opportunity to strengthen its alliances and revive its political momentum.

The vote also reignited tensions between the government and judges, some of whom publicly celebrated the victory of the "no" vote, illustrating the depth of the divisions surrounding the reform.

This vote thus marks a turning point in Italian political life, with potential consequences for the balance of power in the short term.