Meloni loses referendum on judicial reform — Politico

According to exit polls, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is trailing by a narrow margin in the referendum on her government’s judicial reform. 

This is reported by Politico.

According to polls by SWG and Opinio, approximately 49–53% of voters voted against the changes, while 47–51% supported the reform. A YouTrend survey showed a result of 51.5% “against” and 48.5% “in favor.”

The likely defeat could weaken Meloni’s political standing ahead of general elections expected by the end of next year.

The referendum, held on March 22–23, concerned changes to the judicial system, specifically the separation of the careers of judges and prosecutors and the reform of the judicial self-governing body.

The opposition, notably the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement, opposed the measures, citing risks to the independence of the judicial system. The government, however, insisted that the reform was necessary to combat politicization and corruption scandals within the judiciary.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni found herself at the center of a scandal following media reports that she allegedly understood Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s position on blocking aid to Ukraine. Rome categorically denies such claims.