Premier Matteo Renzi's government
prevailed Wednesday in the first of a series of confidence votes
it called in the Lower House over its 'Italicum' bill
introducing a new election system.
The government won with 352 votes in favour, 207 against
and one abstention.
A large group of dissenting MPs from Renzi's Democratic
Party opposed to the bill backed down from their earlier
positions and participated in Wednesday's confidence vote on the
bill.
However, former PD party chief Pier Luigi Bersani and
former Lower House whip Roberto Speranza were among 38 PD MPs
who did not vote.
One dissident who ultimately decided to participate
explained his reasoning.
"Calling a confidence vote was a mistake, but if it doesn't
pass the government will fall," said Lower House MP Matteo
Mauri.
"It would be irresponsible not to vote".
After the vote, Reforms Minister Maria Elena Boschi said
that the results are promising for the next two confidence votes
expected on Thursday.
"It's the first step," she said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Renzi reiterated his warning that his
coalition executive would collapse if the election reform bill
was not approved.
The confidence vote followed scenes of mayhem in the Lower
House one day earlier when the government announced it would
call three confidence votes to push the bill through what Renzi
hopes will be its last reading in parliament.
Opposition parties called the government "fascist" for its
decision to put the bill to confidence votes, which limit debate
and pressures coalition party MPs to toe the line or risk
bringing down the executive.
Renzi dismissed those protests saying he has behaved in
accordance with democratic ideals.
"After having made amendments, mediated, discussed, agreed,
now we either decide or go back to the starting point," Renzi
said.
"If a parliament decides, if a government decides (on a
course of action), that is democracy, not dictatorship".
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