In an electronic referendum held by the Association of Judges and Prosecutors (EDE), against the backdrop of government announcements on constitutional revision, judicial officers voted overwhelmingly in favour of abolishing article 86, with 92.34% backing the proposal.

In its announcement, the association said 1,253 of its members took part in the electronic vote on 18 June. Participation, it said, exceeded all expectations and was almost three times higher than the corresponding participation in 2018, during the previous constitutional revision process.

The EDE also called on ‘all political parties to take seriously the positions of the largest judicial union, as they crystallised after a long period of discussions and dialogue, in an open, democratic process with a large majority. Judges and prosecutors overwhelmingly adopted the recommendation of the board of directors on all the questions raised.’

The results of the electronic vote show that members support the abolition of article 86 of the Constitution, which concerns the criminal prosecution of members of the government at the initiative of Parliament.

Specifically, 92.34% of judges and prosecutors considered the abolition of the provision to be extremely important in the context of constitutional revision, calling for the relevant competence to belong entirely to the ordinary judiciary, as defined by law.

An overwhelming 96.03% of members also voted in favour of revising article 90 of the Constitution, through the establishment of a binding preselection process by judges themselves for candidates for the leadership of the supreme courts.

In its announcement, the union said the results of the vote demonstrate ‘the anxiety and interest of the judiciary for a more emancipated justice system, which will manage to regain the trust of the people.’

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