Within only two days, Italy’s Constitutional Court rejected two requests to hold a referendum on the right-to-die (Tuesday) and on the legalisation of cannabis for personal use (Wednesday), in spite of the fact that its campaigners had collected over 1.8 million signatures. The gravity of the issue prompted Giuliano Amato, the newly elected Constitutional Court President, to hold an unusual press conference to explain the reasons for the veto decision, saying it was due to hypothetical allegations of possible violations of international obligations. Finally, the Court also rejected a request for a referendum on making magistrates personally responsible in terms of civil law for their miscarriages of justice, but approved five other referendum petitions on justice issues. |
To quote Horace, “Populus me sibilat; at mihi plaudo ipse domi, simul ac nummos contemplor in arca”. Artwork © Paweł Kuczyński. |