Justice reform: Career separation approved. From FdI to Pd: the positions of all parties
With 106 votes in favor, 61 against, and 11 abstentions, the Senate approved yesterday the constitutional bill on the separation of judicial careers between prosecutors and judges.
While the majority coalition, composed of Fdi, Fi, and Lega , joined by Calenda, strongly supported the measure, the opposition forces, including the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement , which voted against it, and Italia Viva, which abstained, expressed deep disapproval. The constitutional bill had already been approved last January by the Chamber of Deputies—the first of four scheduled readings—and now, with the favorable consent of the Senate, it will have to pass two more parliamentary passages, once again. The House of Representatives and then the Senate, but not before three months from yesterday, will be held. The threshold for a two-thirds majority is set to prevent a referendum to ratify the constitutional reform. A referendum is considered highly likely and is scheduled for next spring .
According to the center-right, the vote on the justice reform —which aims to reduce the influence of factions and increase transparency in the judiciary —marked a truly "historic day." This was stated by FI Secretary Antonio Tajani in an interview with journalists in the Senate, adding that Berlusconi's great "dream" had been fulfilled.
"I'm very satisfied," commented Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio, " because I've achieved one of my dreams: I've firmly believed in justice since 1995, when I wrote my first book on it as a magistrate."
"The Senate has approved the justice reform promoted by the Meloni government in its second reading. This is a historic achievement that we have pursued with determination and commitment. We are proud of what we are doing because there is no punitive intent in our actions. We simply want to provide citizens with fair justice and a free judiciary , free from the burden of factional power. I thank all parliamentarians, senators, and deputies, for their work. Now we are moving forward quickly with the third and fourth readings and then giving Italians the opportunity to express their opinion in the referendum in 2026," stated Luca Ciriani, Minister for Relations with Parliament, in a statement.
Prime Minister Meloni could not fail to speak out, calling the Senate's approval "an important step toward a commitment we made to the Italian people and which we are resolutely pursuing. The process is not yet complete , but today we confirm our determination to give Italy an increasingly efficient, fair, and transparent judicial system ."
The opposition, however, was clearly opposed, with Democratic Party senators protesting immediately after the vote in the Chamber, displaying the cover of the Italian Constitution upside down and shouting "shame, shame!", accusing the majority of overturning the Charter's values.
Affari Italiani
