Italy’s Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè was pressured to resign by Giorgia Meloni.Image: keystone
Italy’s Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè has announced her resignation after the government’s planned judicial reform failed in a referendum.
March 26, 2026, 06:17March 26, 2026, 06:17
The politician from the right-wing party Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) was responding to a request from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had openly urged her to resign from office. On Monday, the ruling coalition of three right-wing and conservative parties in Rome suffered a serious defeat with the clear no vote in the referendum.
Various public prosecutor’s investigations are underway against Santanchè because of affairs from her previous time as a businesswoman. It has long been seen as a burden for the right-wing camp. The left-wing opposition had introduced a motion of no confidence in parliament to bring it down. Because of the great importance of tourism for the national economy, Italy’s government has its own tourism department.
Meloni refuses to resign after defeat
The office manager of Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and a Justice State Secretary had previously resigned from their positions. The Minister of Justice himself, like Meloni, rejected all calls for his resignation. Their plan to fundamentally restructure the judicial system had clearly failed with 53.7 percent of votes against.
The Fratelli chairwoman has been in power in Rome for three and a half years – longer than almost all Italian heads of government since the end of the Second World War. The no vote in the popular vote is Meloni’s first major defeat since taking office. The next regular parliamentary election is expected to take place in autumn 2027. In the polls, Meloni’s Fratelli are clearly ahead of all other parties so far. (sda/dpa)