Italians are voting in a referendum on constitutional change
BBC News1 day
Italian Voters Reject Meloni's Judicial Reform Referendum
Was the proposed judicial reform a necessary step toward accountability or a dangerous power grab over the courts?
Above: Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni leaves after voting in a constitutional referendum in Rome on March 23. Image credit: Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
This result is a victory for the independence of Italy's judiciary. The changes would have risked stripping magistrates of self-governance by replacing elected CSM members with a lottery system that guts accountability. Approving this referendum would never have fixed court delays, but it would have tightened political control over the one institution that checks government power. The "no" reveals that Meloni's government is in trouble in the lead up to the next election.
Right narrative
Italy's judiciary has long operated as an unaccountable political force, with left-wing judicial factions openly influencing rulings on immigration and beyond. Separating judges from prosecutors is standard practice across 21 European countries, and a lottery-based CSM selection would have meant magistrates don't owe their seats to any political faction — making them genuinely independent. This result is a disaster for the independence of the judiciary.