Italy's Meloni suffers first referendum defeat in three years on judicial reform
Italian voters rejected a constitutional reform to overhaul the judiciary, with the "no" prevailing at 54 percent in a referendum held Sunday and Monday.
1:34 PM
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suffered her first electoral defeat in three and a half years Monday when voters rejected a constitutional referendum on judicial reform, marking a significant setback for her right-wing coalition government.
With polls closing at 3 p.m. local time after voting that began Sunday, the "no" vote secured 54 percent support with 80 percent of polling stations counted. Meloni acknowledged the result in a video message shortly before 5 p.m., stating: "The Italians have decided. And we respect this decision. We will move forward, as we have always done, with responsibility, determination and respect toward the Italian people and toward Italy."
The referendum sought to modify seven articles of the Italian Constitution (87, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107 and 110) through a reform that Parliament had approved October 30, 2025. The proposed changes would have separated the careers of judges and prosecutors and restructured the Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura, the judiciary's governing body. With the "no" victory, the constitutional framework remains unchanged, preserving the current judicial system where magistrates remain "an autonomous and independent order" without rigid separation between judicial and prosecutorial functions.
Turnout reached a record 58.9 percent nationally, substantially exceeding participation in previous constitutional referendums. The 2016 referendum on parliamentary seat reductions drew 51.12 percent, while the 2006 referendum on constitutional reform of Title V achieved 53.8 percent. Emilia-Romagna recorded the highest regional participation at 66.7 percent, followed by Tuscany at 66.3 percent. Turin exceeded the national average with 63.88 percent turnout, while Liguria registered 62.23 percent.
Opposition leaders celebrated the outcome. Giuseppe Conte, head of the Five Star Movement, declared: "We did it. Long live the Constitution" and characterized the result as "an eviction notice to the government." Maurizio Landini, secretary of the CGIL labor confederation, stated: "A new spring begins in the country." Matteo Renzi called for immediate primary elections within the center-left coalition to select leadership for the 2027 general elections.
Right-wing coalition figures responded with restraint. Galeazzo Bignami, Brothers of Italy parliamentary group leader in the Chamber, said: "Our parliamentary agenda does not change." Lucio Malan, his counterpart in the Senate, stated: "We have nothing to reproach ourselves for; we kept a commitment to our voters." Nicolò Zanon, president of the "no" committee, said: "No regrets and no criticism."
Meloni added in her statement: "There clearly remains regret for a lost opportunity to modernize Italy, but this does not change our commitment. The government did what it had promised, advancing a judicial reform that was written in our electoral program."
The reform had been the coalition's primary legislative achievement during Meloni's tenure since winning the 2022 general elections. Regional voting patterns showed variation, with some center-right governed areas in the northeast supporting the reform, though most regions aligned with the national trend. The province of Cuneo in Piedmont bucked the trend, with the "yes" vote leading at 54.34 percent with 501 of 685 polling stations counted.