Italy’s Meloni loses referendum on judicial reform, preliminary results indicate

Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy Tiziana FABI / AFP Partial results of a referendum on judicial reform in Italy, defended by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, indicated this Monday (23) a preference for “No”. The rejection of the reform accounted for just over 54% of the votes after counting another quarter of the voting centers. Shortly before, an exit poll projected the “No” with 49% to 53%, and the “Yes” between 47% and 51%. A second poll gave “No” an advantage of 51.5% to 48.5%, with a margin of error of +/- 2.2%. A defeat in this referendum would represent a heavy blow for Meloni, who since October 2022 has led a coalition government with unusual stability. Meloni ruled out the possibility of resigning in case of defeat. See the videos that are trending on g1 What the reform proposes The reform proposes changing the Constitution to separate the careers of judges and prosecutors, in addition to modifying the functioning of the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM), responsible for supervising judges. For the government, reform is essential to the impartiality of the judicial system. The opposition considers it a maneuver to influence magistrates and criticizes it for not including structural issues, such as slow processes and prison overcrowding. The reform would divide the CSM into two councils – one for judges and the other for prosecutors – and would establish a new disciplinary court made up of 15 members. Three would be appointed by the President of the Republic; another three drawn from a list drawn up by Parliament; and nine drawn from judges and prosecutors. The reform also seeks to prevent judges and prosecutors from switching between the two roles – a practice currently adopted by a tiny minority. Since 2022, change is only permitted once in the first ten years of their careers. Many judges consider that this system protects against political interference; however, reform advocates argue that too close relationships between judges and prosecutors can harm defendants. See more: Donald Trump places statue of Christopher Columbus in the White House USA is quickly heading towards autocracy, warns entity that monitors the health of democracy around the world

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