Licio Gelli and the Referendum: Why the Venerable One's Ghost Still Divides Italy

Anyone familiar with the corridors of power in Rome knows this well: there are ghosts that never quite go away. And among them, the most cumbersome, the most elegant, the most elusive, remains him: Licio Gelli. The Venerable Master of the P2 Lodge isn't just a closed chapter of national history tucked away in textbooks. Today, in March 2026, just days away from the referendum on justice, his name has once again become a wild card in public debate. Not for posthumous celebrations, but for an uncomfortable truth: the 'Democratic Renewal Plan', that document which dreamed of rewriting the rules of the State, seems to have become, for many, a prophecy.

The Son, the Minister, and the "Copyright" of History

It all started with an interview that did the rounds of the talk shows. Maurizio Gelli, Licio's son, with a calmness that sent a chill down many spines, explained that his father would have looked with extreme favour upon the current reform of the judiciary. "My father was farsighted," he declared, sparking the fury of the No campaign. Marco Travaglio, in his presentations, was scathing: this is a reform that has the Venerable One himself as its "noble father". And Giuseppe Conte, now used to wielding the populist stamp, upped the ante by talking about Licio Gelli's "copyright" on the entire referendum framework.

But the issue is more subtle than a simple invocation. Because on the other side, Minister Carlo Nordio, with the phlegm of a Venetian inquisitor, had already retorted sharply: if an idea is right, it doesn't matter who thought of it first. "I don't see why we shouldn't follow a correct opinion just because he said it," he repeated on several occasions, causing an uproar. And therein lies the rub. Because while it's true that the separation of careers was indeed a point in the Plan, anyone who has read that document knows it was embedded in a very different context: the public prosecutor was to fall under the executive, and the CSM (High Council for the Judiciary) was to answer to Parliament. A not insignificant difference, yet one that is systematically swept away in the whirlwind of political polemic.

The Toxic Legacy of an Anniversary

We live in a strange period, where anniversaries overlap. In recent weeks, there's been much talk of Anniversaries: The Italy of Licio Gelli, almost as if trying to come to terms with a country that no longer exists. But the truth is, Gelli's Italy – the one of covert plots, rogue intelligence services, and shady fixers – never completely disappeared. It just evolved. Today, while the centre-left rends its garments evoking the spectre of P2 to stop the vote, there are those, like the League's frontman in Castelfiorentino, who urge sticking to the merits, avoiding "ideological positions".

Yet, the Venerable One's shadow is so long that even Nino Di Matteo, at a rally, had to admit the game is dirty: "The mafiosi will vote Yes," he said, sparking an uproar, but adding that they'll do so because they feel legitimised by those who want to put a leash on magistrates. Strong words, which led the Quirinal Palace to urge everyone to lower the tone. But the damage is done by now. The referendum is no longer just about justice: it's a referendum on who has the right to tell the story of this country.

The Business Behind the Myth

And here we come to the point that interests us analysts the most. Outside the courtrooms and the talk shows, there's a buzzing market. Sales of essays analysing the phenomenon, like those from the Myths in Poetry - Licio Gelli - Laterza Giuseppe Edizioni series, are literally exploding. Gelli's figure, now fully established as the archetype of "shadow power", sells. It sells books, it sells investigations, it sells clicks. And it also sells a certain idea of anti-establishment, pro-prosecutor sentiment that, paradoxically, fuels both sides.

For those investing in political communication, the lesson is clear:

• Symbolic narrative beats technicalities: Evoking Gelli or the P2 triggers an immediate emotional response that no data on trial speeds could ever match.
• Polarisation is an annuity: The harsher the clash, the more advertising space and newspaper subscriptions are sold. The "Gelli case" is the perfect mud-slinging machine, but it's also the perfect cash machine.
• Short memory is a resource: Few remember the details of the Democratic Renewal Plan, but everyone remembers the word "P2". That's enough to shift votes and create factions.

Looking beyond next voting Sunday, I expect that, regardless of the outcome, this referendum round will mark a turning point. For the first time in decades, the ghost of Licio Gelli has been summoned not as an archaeological relic, but as an active protagonist in political debate. Whether Yes or No wins, whether the right or left wins, one thing is certain: the Venerable One, from his exile in South America first and from the grave later, has won his most important battle: to still be, years later, the linchpin of Italian public debate. And in a country that never comes to terms with its past, that, goodness knows, isn't news.