Italians yesterday began voting in a two-day referendum on reforms that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said would make the judiciary more independent — but which critics said would do the opposite.
The poll risks turning into a referendum on the far-right leader herself, ahead of parliamentary elections next year.
Meloni’s hard-right government wants to change Italy’s constitution to separate the role of judges and prosecutors, and reform their oversight body.
Photo: EPA
The plan would make it “more modern, more meritocratic, more autonomous, more accountable and above all, free from political constraints,” Meloni said.
However, critics condemn it as a political power grab that fails to address the real challenges, from years-long trials to prison overcrowding.
Center-left Democratic Party Secretary Elly Schlein said it was badly drafted and “weakens the independence of the judiciary.”
“We have to vote ‘no,’ because the independence of our judicial system is fundamental,” said Margherita Rossi, a 21-year-old student who came from Milan to Rome to vote. “There is no turnout threshold: Even if only 10 people show up, they’ll still be able to change the constitution.”
Opinion polls show the two camps are neck-and-neck.
A decisive “no” would be a blow for Meloni, but she has dismissed suggestions that she might quit if she loses.
“I worry about what they could do after if it is passed,” army officer Francescantonio De Luca said.
Voting closes today, with preliminary results expected later the same day.
The most divisive part of the reform involves changes to the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM), an oversight and disciplinary body whose members are elected by their peers and parliament.
The reform would divide the CSM into two separate councils, one for judges and one for prosecutors, and create a new 15-member disciplinary court.
Members would be drawn by lots instead, with three members of the court chosen by Italy’s ceremonial president and three from a list of experienced lawyers approved by parliament.
Criminal defense lawyer Franco Moretti, who heads the “no” campaign, said the new court risked being “the armed wing of politics.”
“When needed, it could be used to settle scores with that part of the judiciary that has dared to touch it,” he said.
The second part of the reform would prevent judges and public prosecutors from switching between the two functions, addressing concerns that too-cosy relations between the two groups harm defendants.
Critics said that only a tiny minority change roles. In any case, since 2022 they have only been allowed to switch once, while in the first decade of their career.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
RSS