Referendum on constitution becomes referendum on Meloni

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Italians are voting in a constitutional referendum asking them if they want to reform the judiciary. The changes proposed by prime minister Giorgia Meloni are technical, separating the roles of judges and prosecutors and creating a new body to oversee them. Meloni’s government has accused judges of blocking immigration policies, with the prime minister warning that “illegal immigrants, rapists, paedophiles and drug dealers” will be released from prison without the changes. Critics have accused her of attempting to undermine the judiciary’s independence. The danger for Meloni is that the proposals are so complicated that few Italians grasp them, which has essentially turned the referendum into a vote on her record in office.