Premier Giorgia Meloni told the Lower House in a briefing on her government’s upcoming last year in office Thursday that there would be no more resignations or reshuffles and the executive would last its full five years until September next year, becoming easily the longest-lasting in Italian postwar history.
The briefing aimed to chart the last year of office laying out foreign policy, measures to support the economy and a ‘relaunch” after the recent stinging defeat in a justice-reform referendum, Meloni’s first major setback in her three and a half years as Italy’s first female prime minister.
That defeat spurred a series of resignations including Italy’s tourism minister Daniela Santanchè, a justice undersecretary, and the justice minister’s chief of staff.
“(There will be) no resignations, no reshuffles, there’s no need for new policy guidelines, because ours have always been part of the government program, and we will govern for five years, as we’ve committed to do,” Meloni told the House.
Despite the referendum defeat, she said the government would resume work on reforms to Italy’s justice system.
She said the executive would not abandon the justice reform project but would collaborate this time instead of trying to ram through reforms, saying Italy needed concrete and courageous solutions, not against but in favor of the judiciary.
“My hope is that the work on this reform will not be abandoned, as some probably hope, because the problems remain, and we have a duty to find concrete, courageous, and effective solutions, ideally in a climate of collaboration, certainly not against the judiciary, but in favor of a judiciary free from political and ideological constraints.”
Among other things, the planned reform defeated in the referendums was aimed at splitting career paths of prosecutors and judges and reducing the influence of powerful political factions within the judiciary.
Critics said, however, it did nothing to speed Italy’s snail-paced justice system and would pave the way for government control of the judiciary.
Meloni went on to say that the government would be here until the end and would not won’t run away, saying it would govern as serious people do.
“Let it be known that the government is here, fully functioning, determined to do its best, even better, until the last day of its mandate.“We won’t run away, we won’t retreat, we won’t take cover by making citizens pay for the usual palace tricks: we will govern as serious people do, at peace with their conscience.”
She also said that she challenged the opposition on real political issues and the resignations of the government members had not been simple but had been in the national interest.
“The majority is solid and cohesive” and I am “proud of Deputy Prime Ministers (Antonio) Tajani (foreign minister) and (Matteo) Salvini (transport minister),” she said.
“Recently, I asked some government officials to step down, even though they had “worked well.
