ROME — Italian voters delivered a sharp rebuke to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition on Monday, March 23, rejecting her flagship judicial reform in a referendum that projections show the opposition “No” campaign winning 54% to 46%, according to state broadcaster RAI and pro-government Mediaset.
Turnout soared to nearly 60% amid a bitter campaign exposing raw animosity between Meloni’s government and Italy’s judiciary, potentially scarring politics long-term. The loss shatters Meloni’s winning streak after four years of electoral triumphs, eroding her invincible image and invigorating the fragmented centre-left, particularly the Democratic Party and 5-Star Movement, to unite against her.
Meloni vowed to stay in office, sidestepping the resignation trap that felled ex-Premier Matteo Renzi in 2016, but analysts warn the defeat leaves her exposed amid economic stagnation and global pressures like the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran spiking power prices, fueled partly by public disdain for her ally, U.S. President Donald Trump.
Many “No” votes stemmed from broad discontent with her administration rather than the reform’s arcane details, which sought to split judges’ and prosecutors’ careers, divide the High Council of the Judiciary into elected sections, and boost accountability by curbing bias and political favoritism in appointments. Critics, including magistrates’ unions and opposition, blasted it as a power grab undermining judicial independence, claims Meloni rejected.
While the changes wouldn’t fix Italy’s glacial courts dragging on the economy, a win could have propelled bolder moves like a directly elected prime minister. Instead, the setback weakens Meloni at home and in Europe, where she was once hailed as resilient, as she navigates headwinds ahead of next year’s general elections.