Politics
Meloni Vows to Stay on if Italians Reject Justice Reform in Referendum
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stated she will not resign if Italian voters reject her government's contentious judicial reform in a referendum scheduled for March 22-23. In a video message on social media, she framed the vote as a decision for the Italian people, separate from her government's political mandate.
"We said that we would implement a series of reforms, but now it's up to the Italians to decide," Meloni said in the video, which urged a 'Yes' vote. "The government will not resign if the No vote wins. We want to get to the end of the parliamentary term and be judged by the Italians then. Today we are voting on justice, not politics."
The proposed constitutional reform introduces several significant changes to the Italian judiciary. Key measures include the separation of career paths for judges and prosecutors, preventing them from switching roles; the creation of a new high court for judicial discipline; splitting the judiciary's self-governing body, the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM), into two distinct bodies; and altering the election of CSM members to include a random draw process.
The reform faces staunch opposition from the National Association of Magistrates (ANM) and opposition parties. Critics argue it would weaken the judiciary's independence and could potentially pave the way for greater executive control over prosecutors.
The government, however, maintains the reform is necessary to ensure fair trials. The current system, which allows judges and prosecutors to be part of the same professional body, is argued to foster overly close relations that could compromise judicial impartiality.
In her address, Meloni launched a sharp critique of the judiciary, echoing past accusations that some magistrates are politically biased against her government, particularly concerning its policies on illegal immigration. She argued the reform is long overdue.
"There are distortions in the justice system that we have never managed to correct over the 80 years of history of the republic," she stated. "The reform addresses this: making the justice system more accountable and free from a judiciary that has lost much of its authority and effectiveness."
Meloni dismissed the opposition's "apocalyptic" language as a sign of weak arguments and noted that separating the careers of prosecutors and judges is common in many countries. She framed the resistance as a defence of political influence, alleging that the left has historically used the judiciary to achieve what it could not at the ballot box.
"The real problem the Left has with this reform is that we're freeing magistrates from [their] control and influence, because the Left has always used the justice system when it couldn't win elections," Meloni claimed. "This reform breaks that mechanism, not to replace it with magistrates controlled by the Right, but with magistrates free from all control who will be able to advance their careers because they're good at their jobs."
She vehemently rejected the notion that the reform would increase executive power over the judiciary, calling such claims "science fiction" and "a lie," insisting the reform does "the exact opposite" and aims to free magistrates from political interference.
While magistrates in Italy are affiliated with various professional factions, including left-wing, centrist, and right-wing groups, accusations of politically motivated prosecutions by so-called 'Red Robes' have been a staple of centre-right politics since the legal troubles of the late Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. His party, Forza Italia, has championed the reform as a posthumous victory for its founder, celebrating its parliamentary approval.
Recent polling suggests the referendum race has tightened significantly. While the 'Yes' campaign initially held a substantial lead, a poll published on Friday, just before a two-week pre-vote 'electoral silence' began, showed the 'No' camp ahead with 53% against 47% for 'Yes'. This resurgence has intensified calls for Meloni to campaign more vigorously, focusing on highlighting perceived miscarriages of justice and court rulings that have gone against the government, particularly on immigration and crime.
