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The vote of confidence in the two houses of Parliament in Rome became a tremendous match for the prime minister on Monday and Tuesday nights. The trigger for the crisis was former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who a few days ago withdrew the two ministers from his splinter party “Italia Viva” in the dispute over aid from the crown. The coalition of the five-star movement and the Social Democrats no longer has a majority.
In his speeches in the House of Representatives and the Senate, Conte campaigned for the support of European-oriented forces. Italy, the prime minister said, could not afford a government vacuum in the difficult times of the pandemic. At the same time, he promised to reorganize the cabinet and review the government’s plans.
At the same time, he condemned Renzi’s withdrawal and hinted at a rejection of the party’s return to government. Renzi had previously let it slip that he could imagine re-entering government.
The leaders of “Italia Viva” abstained from voting in the Chamber of Deputies. Thus, Conte achieved a narrow absolute majority in the vote of confidence on Monday night. Similar behavior emerged yesterday. In the evening, observers assumed that Conte would likely have 154 senatorial votes; should “Italia Viva” abstain, 149 senatorial votes would be sufficient. The vote was still in progress at the time of publication.
Conte’s approval is also due to fear of new elections. The new parliament would be elected according to new rules that the Italians approved in a referendum in September. This will reduce the number of members of parliament from the current 945 to 600.
