March 25, 2026 10:25 AM
Italy’s Meloni faces risky choices after referendum defeat shakes government
Giorgia Meloni's defeat in a justice reform referendum has thrust the Italian leader into the toughest phase of her premiership, with her authority weakened, her reform programme in tatters and no easy way to regain the initiative. The prime minister's right-wing coalition suffered a resounding loss in the March 22-23 vote, puncturing the aura of political invincibility she has cultivated since taking office in 2022. As the result came in, Meloni made clear she had no plans to resign, but none...