Internal fractures on the Italian far right will be difficult to mend

Meloni viewed the judiciary as an obstacle to fully implementing the repressive measures she considers part and parcel of her profile as a right-wing leader. The fact that a portion of her electorate chose not to follow her indicates the cultural fragility of her leadership.

Getting carried away by the thrill of victory is an understandable reaction. Those who committed themselves fully to a political battle whose outcome was uncertain deserve due recognition, along with the gratitude of those who simply exercised their right to vote hoping for the best. However, our current situation leaves little time for celebration. Instead, it requires an effort to look beyond the referendum's outcome and reflect on the future, for which the outlook is anything but reassuring.

In particular, I believe it is useful to examine the political motivations that drove the right and a segment of the reformist left to force a showdown over a constitutional reform pushed through by the governing majority at such a difficult time for our democracy.

To understand the referendum's genesis, it is essential to distinguish the objectives of the different political factions that supported the “Yes” vote. Within the right-wing coalition, the position of the late Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia must be separated from that of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy. In the former's case, the........

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