Licio Gelli and the Referendum: Why the Venerable Master's Ghost Keeps Dividing Italy

Those who frequent the corridors of power in Rome know it well: there are ghosts that never truly leave. 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 between the pages of textbooks. Today, in March 2026, just days away from the justice referendum, his name has once again become a wild card in public debate. And not for posthumous celebrations, but for an uncomfortable truth: the 'Plan for Democratic Renewal', 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 again with an interview that did the rounds on 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 forward-thinking," he declared, sparking the ire of the 'No' camp. Marco Travaglio, during his presentations, was scathing: this is a reform whose 'noble father' is precisely the Venerable Master. And Giuseppe Conte, now accustomed to wielding the populist stamp, upped the ante by talking about Licio Gelli's 'copyright' over the entire referendum framework.

But the issue is more nuanced 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 just opinion just because he said it," he repeated on several occasions, causing an uproar. And here's the rub. Because while it's true that the separation of the careers of magistrates 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 supposed to fall under the executive, and the CSM (Superior Council of the Judiciary) was to answer to Parliament. A not-insignificant difference, which, however, in the vortex of political polemics, is systematically swept away.

The Toxic Legacy of an Anniversary

We live in a strange period, where anniversaries overlap. In these weeks, there's much talk about 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 agencies, and 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 frontman for the Lega in Castelfiorentino, who invite us to stick to the merits, avoiding "ideological positions."

Yet, the Venerable Master'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 will do so because they feel legitimised by those who want to muzzle magistrates. Heavy words, which led the Quirinale to invite everyone to lower the tone. But by now, the damage is done. 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 talk shows, there's a market buzzing with activity. Sales of essays analysing the phenomenon, like those in the Miti nella Poesia - Licio Gelli - Laterza Giuseppe Edizioni series, are literally exploding. Gelli's figure, now mainstream as the archetype of 'shadow power', sells. It sells books, it sells investigations, it sells clicks. And it also sells a certain idea of 'guarantorist' rebellion that, paradoxically, fuels both sides.

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

• Symbolic narrative trumps technicalities: Evoking Gelli or the P2 triggers an immediate emotional response that no data on trial speeds can 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 an asset: Few remember the details of the 'Plan for Democratic Renewal', but everyone remembers the word "P2". That's enough to shift votes and create factions.

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