SHORT PROFILE: Italy's Meloni faces first major setback as prime minister as justice referendum fails

Record ID: 2368331

  • Title: SHORT PROFILE: Italy's Meloni faces first major setback as prime minister as justice referendum fails
  • Date: 28th January 2025
  • Summary: Meloni met French President, Emmanuel Macron, on May 20, 2023, despite previous tensions between the two nations' leaderships. Meloni and Macron met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Hiroshima seeking to turn the page after a French minister accused Rome of mishandling an influx of migrants. Then French Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, said in early
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: BROTHERS OF ITALY GOVERNMENT ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI ITALY ROME
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: Various
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA007382811082023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Italian voters have rejected a flagship judicial reform championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, on Monday (March 23), dealing a blow to her right-wing coalition ahead of next year's general elections.
    The opposition-backed "No" bloc will secure around 54% of the vote held on Sunday and Monday, against 46% for the government's "Yes" camp, according to projections based on the ongoing vote count.
    Meloni conceded defeat in a government-promoted referendum to reform the justice system, saying on social media that the result was "a lost opportunity to modernize Italy."
    The defeat might mark a turning point for Meloni, stripping her of the aura of being a winner in the eyes of the Italian electorate after four years of victories in local and national polls.
    The timing of the contest proved challenging for Meloni, with Italians harboring a clear dislike of her ally, U.S. President Donald Trump, and fearful that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran will drive up already high domestic power prices.
    The referendum proposed separating the careers of judges and public prosecutors, and splitting magistrates' self-governing body, the High Council of the Judiciary (CSM), into two sections, with members chosen by lot rather than elected.
    (Production: Matteo Negri)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register