{"id":9814,"date":"2026-04-05T00:50:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T00:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/9814\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T00:50:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T00:50:02","slug":"italys-judicial-reform-referendum-challenges-melonis-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/9814\/","title":{"rendered":"Italy’s judicial reform referendum challenges Meloni’s leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

ROME (AP) \u2014 Italy\u2019s<\/a> conservative premier, Giorgia Meloni<\/a>, faces a pivotal political test in a two-day referendum on judicial reform that started on Sunday, a vote that has transformed into a broader judgment on her leadership at home and abroad. <\/p>\n

Originally presented as a technical overhaul of the justice system, the reform has sharpened political divisions and unified the center\u2011left opposition, turning the referendum into a symbolic showdown on Meloni\u2019s strength one year ahead of national elections.<\/p>\n

Recent polls show the race remains too close to call, with the \u201cNo\u201d camp gaining late momentum in a polarized climate where turnout may prove decisive. After 12 hours of voting on the first day, according to Italy\u2019s Interior Ministry, turnout topped 38% of eligible voters. That is the highest turnout ever registered at the same time for any two-day referendum. <\/p>\n

Lorenzo Pregliasco, political analyst and polling expert at YouTrend, said a rejection of the reform would carry significant political weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cA possible \u2018No\u2019 victory would send a political signal, weakening Meloni\u2019s aura of invincibility, while pushing the center-left opposition to say that there is already an alternative in the country,\u201d he told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

Meloni raises the stakes<\/p>\n

Meloni initially avoided tying her image too closely to the referendum, wary of the danger that a defeat could weaken her domestically and abroad.<\/p>\n

She currently presides over Italy\u2019s most stable government in years, after gaining credibility among her European allies as a charismatic leader. A referendum win would further strengthen her tenure at home, alongside her international standing. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s why, as the vote neared and polls tightened, the Italian premier shifted strategy and fully embraced the \u201cYes\u201d campaign. <\/p>\n

Meloni has sharpened her rhetoric, accusing parts of the judiciary of hindering government work on migration and security, and warning that failure to pass the reform would strengthen unaccountable judicial \u201cfactions\u201d and endanger citizens\u2019 safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the reform doesn\u2019t pass this time, we will probably not have another chance,\u201d she said at a campaign event last week. \u201cWe will find ourselves with even more powerful factions, even more negligent judges, even more surreal sentences, immigrants, rapists, pedophiles, drug dealers being freed and putting your security at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her stark warnings have drawn fierce criticism from magistrates and the center-left, who argue that the reforms would erode judicial independence and undermine constitutional guarantees.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously (I\u2019m voting) no, because I think this government has organized a referendum that serves no purpose other than its own, if it were to go ahead,\u201d said Giovanna Antongini, an 89-year-old, as she headed to a polling station in central Rome. <\/p>\n

The \u2018Trump risk\u2019<\/p>\n

Analysts say the referendum carries international implications as well.<\/p>\n

Meloni\u2019s long standing alignment with U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a>, once politically advantageous, has become increasingly problematic as his foreign policy \u2014 particularly the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran<\/a> \u2014 faces growing disapproval among Italians.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeloni is facing what I would call the \u2018Trump risk\u2019 \u2014 which is appearing too subservient to the U.S. president, who is an extremely unpopular political leader in Italy and the rest of Europe and generates a lot of distrust, even among center-right voters,\u201d Pregliasco said.<\/p>\n

A defeat in the referendum would not force Meloni to resign \u2014 her mandate runs through 2027 and she repeatedly pledged to complete it \u2014 but could diminish her credibility within the European Union, where she is viewed as a stabilizing actor in an often politically volatile environment.<\/p>\n

A long running clash<\/p>\n

The referendum centers on long-debated reforms aimed at reshaping the structure of Italy\u2019s judiciary.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis vote is very important,\u201d said Francesca Serlupi Ferretti Crescenzi, 67, casting her ballot in Rome. \u201cIt is intended to improve the judicial system, which is long overdue for reform. I am convinced that it must and can be improved.\u201d<\/p>\n

A key measure includes separating the career paths of judges and prosecutors, preventing them from switching roles \u2014 something that is currently allowed but rarely practiced.<\/p>\n

Another major change concerns the High Judicial Council, which oversees magistrates\u2019 appointments and disciplinary matters. The reform proposes splitting it into three separate chambers and altering how members are chosen, replacing internal elections with selections by lottery from eligible judges and prosecutors.<\/p>\n

The clash between Italy\u2019s right-wing leaders and magistrates has punctuated Italian politics, exploding during the governments of late conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi, who was one of the staunchest supporters of the judicial reform.<\/p>\n

Supporters argue the changes will modernize an infamously slow court system and enhance accountability. But critics, including prominent magistrates, say the reform misses the real priorities while threatening the judiciary\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n

Nicola Gratteri, Naples\u2019 chief prosecutor and a long time anti-Mafia magistrate, offered one of the most pointed rebukes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think this government has implemented the reforms needed to make trials work more effectively,\u201d he told the AP. \u201cInstead, it has made it virtually impossible to combat crimes against the public administration and to tackle white-collar abuse and corruption.\u201d <\/p>\n

As Italians head to the polls, the referendum stands as one of the defining moments of Meloni\u2019s premiership<\/a> \u2014 a choice that could reshape not only the justice system but also the trajectory of her government, regardless of the outcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ROME (AP) \u2014 Italy\u2019s conservative premier, Giorgia Meloni, faces a pivotal political test in a two-day referendum on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9815,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[127],"tags":[3946,12,1065,8830,1665,273,8831,197,952,5969,6249,6250,51,5968,5822,2194,52],"class_list":{"0":"post-9814","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-giorgia-meloni","8":"tag-conservatism","9":"tag-donald-trump","10":"tag-elections","11":"tag-francesca-serlupi-ferretti-crescenzi","12":"tag-general-news","13":"tag-giorgia-meloni","14":"tag-giovanna-antongini","15":"tag-iran-war","16":"tag-italy","17":"tag-italy-government","18":"tag-lorenzo-pregliasco","19":"tag-nicola-gratteri","20":"tag-politics","21":"tag-referendums","22":"tag-silvio-berlusconi","23":"tag-voting","24":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/116349358762594293","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}