Constitutional Court: “referendum on differentiated autonomy inadmissible”, the political implications and reactions of the majority and opposition
Stop the referendum on differentiated autonomy: the Constitutional Court declares it inadmissible. A phase of rewriting the law on Lep begins with long times and political caution
Constitutional Court: “referendum on differentiated autonomy inadmissible”, the political implications and reactions of the majority and opposition
La Constitutional Court has declared inadmissible the abrogative referendum on the Calderoli law on differentiated autonomy, provoking a series of reactions in the political landscape. The decision offers a moment of relief for the government led by Giorgia Meloni, avoiding an electoral clash on a highly divisive issue between the North and the South of the country.
The decision of the consultation
The Constitutional Court, with its ruling, motivated the decision by explaining that the the referendum question lacked clarity on its subject and purposeThe press release from the Consulta reads: “The object and purpose of the question are not clear, which compromises the possibility of an informed choice by the voter.” Furthermore, it is stressed that a possible referendum would have risked turning into a plebiscite on Article 116 of the Constitution, an issue that would require a constitutional revision and not an abrogative vote.
The Calderoli law, already partly modified and dismantled by the Court with sentence 192 of 2024, is now devoid of many of the original elements. This has led the Consulta to conclude that there is no longer a sufficient basis to submit the text to a referendum.
Political reactions from the majority and opposition
La The Court's decision was welcomed by Palazzo Chigi. For Giorgia Meloni, committed to maintaining the balance between the souls of her majority, the cancellation of the referendum will represent aopportunity to avoid an electoral campaign focused on a theme potentially damaging to national cohesion.
Even the League, although a supporter of the Calderoli law, welcomed the decision with pragmatism. The governor of Veneto, Luca Zaia, declared: “The Court first affirmed the constitutionality of the law, suggesting corrections, and today puts an end to the referendum, removing uncertainty from the operational phase. "
On the opposite front, the oppositions took the opportunity to criticize the government and the Calderoli law. The Democratic Party, through Senator Andrea Martella, declared: «TheThe law had already been emptied by the Court in November. Consequently, the referendum question lost its meaning: the Calderoli law, as it was conceived, no longer exists».
The 5 Star Movement was harsher, speaking of a "Pyrrhic victory" for the government: "The law is unworkable as it is, and the restrictions set by the Court will force a total rethink.and", declared the parliamentary group.
Italia Viva, through the voice of Maria Elena Boschi, also underlined the uselessness of the referendum: «The Court has already demolished this law. Now Parliament must do its part, but within the very strict constraints imposed by the ruling».
Next steps and rewriting the Lep Law
Attention now shifts to Parliament, where work will be done on the rRegistration of the delegation law on Essential Levels of Performance (Lep). This process will take a long time, as it will require a greater involvement of the Chambers to precisely define the guiding criteria and costs of financing.
The rewriting of the Calderoli law is also intertwined with the issue of the premiership, which will also be slowed down. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni herself has hinted that the confirmatory referendum on the constitutional reform linked to the premiership could be held only after the next political elections.
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