Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has conceded defeat in a referendum on her justice reforms, while confirming she would not hand in her resignation.

“The Italians have decided. And we respect this decision,” she said in a statement on X on Monday, alongside a video, saying the result of the referendum was “a lost opportunity to modernise Italy”.

Meloni’s hard-right government wanted to change Italy’s constitution to separate the roles of judges and prosecutors and reform their oversight body.

She claimed the plan is essential to guarantee impartiality and improve the functioning of Italy’s creaking justice system.

But critics slammed it as a political power grab that fails to address the real challenges, from years-long trials to prison overcrowding.