Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today!
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has conceded defeat in a two-day referendum on judiciary reforms, saying she will respect the voters’ decision – but branding it “a lost chance to modernise Italy” (16:50, 17:00).
With 95% votes now counted, nearly 54% of the voters backed the No campaign, rejecting the contentious proposals (18:05).
The unexpected defeat weakens Meloni politically, as she was hoping to press ahead with an electoral law that could give her coalition a comfortable win in next year’s general election (15:23).
In other news,
Hungary’s embattled prime minister Viktor Orbán hosted the “Patriots’ Grand Assembly” in Budapest, bringing together a number of far-right leaders from across Europe (18:11).
Earlier today, the European Commission said it would seek “a clarification” from the Hungarian government after media reports alleging that the country’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó had been leaking confidential EU discussions to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov (12:23).
Orbán attempted to get on the front foot as he ordered a probe into what he called a wiretapping of Szijjártó’s phone (13:02).
Hungary’s Orbán and his government face a tricky parliamentary election next month, with a number of nationalist leaders lining up to endorse him ahead of the vote (11:41, 12:03).
Elsewhere, France’s local elections, closely watched for clues to next year’s presidential vote, have given parties of the centre a welcome and unexpected lift as the far right and radical left fell some way short of their ambitions.
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Orbán hosts far-right leaders from across Europe with endorsements from Le Pen, Wilders
Meanwhile, Hungary’s embattled prime minister Viktor Orbán hosted the “Patriots’ Grand Assembly” in Budapest, bringing together a number of far-right leaders from across Europe, including Czech Republic’s Macinka, France’s Le Pen, Italy’s Salvini, the Netherland’s Wilders, and Spain’s Abascal.
After the meeting, a number of leaders posted their endorsements of Orbán ahead of next month’s closely watched parliamentary election in Hungary, with polls suggesting he could lose power after 16 years in office.
Le Pen said she was “very honored to come today to support” Orbán, claiming that “everywhere on the continent, our movements represent hope for millions of Europeans.”
Wilders posted a selfie with the embattled prime minister, noting his presence in Budapest, with a heart emoji for the Hungarian capital.
Abascal stressed the importance of sovereign nation states instead of the transnational bodies such as the European Union.
The Hungarian election is set to take place on 12 April.
