Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni conceded defeat after voters rejected her government’s judicial reform in a national referendum.
Preliminary results show 55% opposed the measure, with 45% in favor and turnout near 59%. The reform would have split Italy’s judiciary into separate career paths for judges and prosecutors, divided the Superior Council of the Magistracy, and created a new Disciplinary Court.
Italy currently maintains a unified judiciary where judges and prosecutors share the same professional body and can switch roles. Parliament approved the reform in October 2025 but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to bypass a public vote.
Because the referendum was confirmatory, the law required voter approval to take effect-and none was granted.
Meloni, who has led Italy since October 2022, said she respects the outcome but will not resign. “This does not change our commitment to continue... to work for the good of the nation,” she stated.
Opponents warned the reform threatened judicial independence-a claim Meloni denied. Cesare Parodi, president of the National Association of Magistrates, resigned Monday, citing personal reasons.
The result marks a political setback for Meloni’s center-right coalition, which had unanimously backed the proposal since 2022.