Rome: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lost a constitutional referendum to overhaul the judiciary and said that the result was "a lost opportunity to modernize Italy".
According to results released by the Interior Ministry, the "No" camp won almost 54% of the vote against the government‑backed "Yes" campaign, which secured about 46%. After voters’ rebuke, Meloni has sought to reshape her government, shunting out tainted officials, but vowed to continue as the premier.
Following the defeat, Justice Ministry Undersecretary Andrea Delmastro and Chief of Staff Giusi Bartolozzi resigned, and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio essentially announced his retirement.
Nordio had authored the overhaul and took responsibility for the defeat. While he did not resign, he announced he would “return to his study and hobbies” after the national elections expected next year. Both Delmastro and Bartolozzi have been facing serious corruption charges.
Critics of Meloni’s proposed overhaul argued that it was designed to limit the judiciary’s independence and interfere with its functioning. She had proposed breaking up the current single body overseeing judges and prosecutors into three separate bodies and replacing the existing system where members are elected by their peers with a lottery-based selection process.
