How much does the failure of justice reform hinder Giorgia Meloni?

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has failed in her plans to achieve a far-reaching reform of the Italian justice system through a popular referendum. According to the preliminary final result, around 54 percent of Italians rejected the reform, and only around 46 percent voted in favor of it.

Meloni conceded defeat and said in a video on her Instagram channel: "The Italians decided. And we will respect this decision." The leader of the Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party called the referendum's outcome a "missed opportunity for the modernization of Italy."

However, she stressed that she would continue “working for the good of the nation.” Before the referendum, Meloni had ruled out the possibility of taking personal responsibility in the event of a loss.

The aim is to limit the self-government of judges.

The reform was one of the main projects of the Italian government and envisaged changes to several articles of the Italian Constitution. One of the main points was the separation of the careers of judges and prosecutors, as is common in most European countries.

It also envisaged the creation of new self-government bodies for judges and prosecutors. It was intended that the parliament would also participate in the composition of these bodies, which would give politics more influence in personnel decisions.

Opponents see threat to judicial independence

Meloni and her allies saw the reform as a step towards making judges and prosecutors more independent of political influence and making the justice system as a whole more efficient. The Italian right has claimed for decades that large parts of the judiciary side with the left.

Opponents, mainly the Italian opposition, warned of an interference in the independence of the judiciary. They accused Meloni of aiming to increase her influence over the judicial system.

According to them, the prosecution in particular could fall prey to political influence, while structural problems such as the length of court proceedings and prison overcrowding would remain unresolved.

Heavy loss for Meloni

For Meloni, the result is a heavy defeat, and this just a year and a half before regular parliamentary elections. The referendum was also seen as a test for elections planned for the fall of 2027.

This is also underlined by Nicola Lupo, a professor of constitutional law at Luiss University in Rome. According to Lupo, the referendum was seen by Italians as closely linked to Meloni and her government. Therefore, the “No” in the referendum is more than a rejection of the justice reform.

However, Meloni and her party, Fratelli d'Italia, are currently far ahead of all other parties in the polls. Voter turnout was very high for a referendum, around 58 percent, with over 46 million citizens eligible to vote./DW