The government will present a reformbill introducing separate career paths for prosecutors and judges so members of the judiciary can no longer switch between the two roles in April or May, Justice Minister Carlo Nordiosaid during a question time in the Lower House.
"The separation of the careers of magistrates is in the government's program and (the bill) will be presented by the end of April, May at the latest," said Nordio.
"It will be consubstantial with the reform of the CSM (thejudiciary's self-governing body, ed.) for obvious reasons that aseparation of careers entails, hence two separate CSMs," continued Nordio.
"In order to enact a radical reform it is necessary to change the Constitution, and the process will therefore obviously belong and will intersect with the reform of the premiership, soit will take a certain amount of time," he added.
In addition to its justice reform, the government is also trying to introduce the direct election of the prime minister by the Italian people, another move that requires changing the Constitution.
Under the current election system, parties engage in government-formation talks after a general election and then the coalition that forms a ruling majority in parliament agrees on a figure to propose to the President of the Republic to become prime minister.
That figure is not necessarily one of the politicians given by the parties as their premier candidate during the election campaign.
In order to pass, constitutional reform bills must be approved by both houses of parliament in two separate readings at a distance of at least three months with an absolute majority on the second reading.
They can then be put to a popular referendum on the request of one fifth of the members of one chamber of parliament, 500,000 citizens or five regional councils.
If the reform bill is approved by at least a two-thirds majority of each chamber on the second reading it is not put to a referendum.
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