Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday, March 23rd conceded defeat in a referendum on her justice reforms, while confirming she would not hand in her resignation.
“The Italians have decided. And we respect this decision,” she posted on X, alongside a video in which she stressed that
this does not change our commitment to continue, with seriousness and determination, to work for the good of the nation and to honour the mandate entrusted to us.
With the ballots from more than half of polling stations counted, the “No” vote in the constitutional referendum was ahead with more than 54%.
The ‘yes’ camp comprises the parties forming the right-wing alliance that enabled Giorgia Meloni to come to power. The ‘no’ camp is that of the left-wing parties.
The referendum sought to separate the role of judges and prosecutors, breaking the corporatism of the judiciary—which has traditionally benefited the Left—and thereby strengthening public confidence in the impartiality of the justice system.
