Overview
- The government convened a 7 p.m. Council of Ministers to pass an emergency decree on fuel prices, with draft plans for a one‑off €100 top‑up on the “Dedicata a te” card for roughly one million low‑income families and a 28% diesel tax credit for haulage, while Matteo Salvini signaled a trial cut to excise duties to push pump prices below €1.90 per liter; figures remain provisional.
- A united center‑left “campo largo” staged a joint NO rally in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo, with Giuseppe Conte and Elly Schlein urging voters to reject the justice reform and framing the contest as a defense of judicial independence.
- The Sì front grappled with self‑inflicted headaches, from the removal of materials using President Sergio Mattarella’s image to hard‑line turnout appeals, as campaign figures emphasized mobilization and some allies warned the missteps aided the NO camp.
- At the Quirinale, President Mattarella hosted a working breakfast with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and ministers as military and intelligence chiefs briefed on the Gulf crisis, and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto reiterated that Italy is not taking part in the war and favors any Hormuz security effort under a UN mandate.
- Italian media reported cooled direct contacts between Meloni and U.S. President Donald Trump since the Iran strike, contrasting with more frequent calls other European leaders have held with Washington.