Italy's Meloni, a Trump ally, suffers major defeat in referendum

Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suffered the first big setback of her more than three-year-old government after a major judicial reform she championed was handily defeated in a national referendum.

Meloni -- among Donald Trump’s strongest allies in Europe -- saw the reform that would have weakened the independence of judges defeated, with 54 percent of voters against it in an unusually high turnout. 

The reform was even voted down in big cities, normally Meloni strongholds. The “no” vote earned 57 percent of the vote in Rome, 54 percent in Milan, and 71 percent in Naples.

The Italian judiciary has long been a thorn in Meloni's side, constraining her actions on mass migration, asylum law, and security policy. 

In a social media post, the Italian leader said she felt “bitterness for the lost opportunity” but said she would respect the outcome.

Meloni became Italy’s first female prime minister in October 2022, making her government the second-longest serving government since World War II. The prime minister has been a strong supporter of Trump since the start of the president’s second term.

The last Italian prime minister to lose a major referendum -- Matteo Renzi in 2016 -- resigned in the wake of the loss. But Meloni has made it clear she would not step down regardless of the outcome of the reform vote.