Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has conceded defeat in a two-day referendum on judiciary reforms, with nearly 54% of voters backing the 'No' campaign. With 95% of votes counted, Meloni said she would respect the decision but called it 'a lost chance to modernise Italy'.
The unexpected defeat weakens Meloni politically, as she had hoped to press ahead with an electoral law that could give her coalition a comfortable win in next year's general election.
Meanwhile, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hosted the 'Patriots' Grand Assembly' in Budapest, bringing together far-right leaders from across Europe, including France's Marine Le Pen and Italy's Matteo Salvini. The leaders endorsed Orbán ahead of next month's parliamentary election, where polls suggest he could lose power after 16 years.
In France, local elections gave parties of the centre an unexpected lift, as the far-right National Rally (RN) failed to capture key targets like Marseille. The RN multiplied its councillor numbers by 13 but fell short of ambitions in Toulon and Nîmes, puncturing its air of invincibility.
