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"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came under fierce criticism in the Senate in Rome on Wednesday, as opposition lawmakers accused her of pushing controversial reforms to Italy's judicial and electoral systems while failing to address the country's problems. Meloni's coalition argued that the changes are needed to improve political stability after years of weak and fragmented governance. The opposition, however, accused the prime minister of acting under the influence of US President Donald Trump's policies, while warning the reforms could weaken institutional checks and give more power to the ruling alliance ahead of the next election. Senator Francesco Boccia accused Meloni of focusing on political projects instead of the everyday struggles facing Italians. "You are leaving us with a poorer country, as shown by the data, more fragile and unfortunately, dramatically more divided. And it is more divided because of the responsibilities that your parliamentary majority assumed when it decided not to address the problems of Italians but instead focused on impossible reforms that have failed," Boccia explained. Meanwhile, Meloni pointed to a 'particularly complex international economic framework' and 'geopolitical tensions' as "impacting growth, energy costs, the competitiveness of businesses, the purchasing power," while calling for less 'controversy' as the country faces the challenges. This comes after Meloni's coalition suffered a major setback in a recent judicial reform vote, which opposition parties said threatened the independence of magistrates. Despite calls to resign following the defeat, Meloni insisted her government would continue without a reshuffle. "You lost the constitutional referendum and did not resign; you were seduced and dumped by Trump. You realise you have a government not up to the challenges and a majority incapable of respecting the opposition's criticisms," added a second senator, Matteo Renzi. The vote became a major political test for Meloni ahead of Italy's next general election, with nearly 59 percent of voters taking part in one of the country’s highest turnout levels in years. A revised version of the judicial reform plan is now expected to return to parliament after the summer recess, with government officials saying they may seek adjustments to ease opposition concerns while keeping the core structure of the reforms intact."
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