(supersedes previous)Premier
Matteo Renzi told reporters at the Lower House Monday that "he
is betting the ranch" on a referendum to be held in October on
his proposed constitutional reform bill, which faces a final
vote in the Lower House today.
"The key is to win, it doesn't matter by what percentage,"
he said.
He also said it's too bad opposition lawmakers said they
will walk out during his address to the House on the importance
of the bill.
"I feel sorry for them for not being there," he said. Renzi
has said in the past he is prepared to quit if the referendum
nixes his reform.
Italian Left (SI), a splinter of Renzi's Democratic Party
(PD), joined the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and
the rightwing, anti-immigrant Northern League in announcing they
will walk out during the premier's speech.
Under Italian law, any changes to the Constitution must be
approved by popular referendum.
Renzi's reform would, among other things, reduce the Senate
from its current 300 members to an assembly of 100 regional
officials with limited lawmaking powers in a bid to break the
gridlock Italian politics is famous for.
The three opposition parties earlier requested the Lower
House call a meeting of whips so they could request a
postponement of the final vote on the government's reform bill
until after a no-confidence vote scheduled April 19.
The Renzi government faces the no-confidence vote over an
oil probe that has rocked the executive.
Federica Guidi resigned as industry minister earlier this
month over a wiretapped conversation with her oil-industry
boyfriend, Gianluca Gemelli, about a government amendment to the
Tempa Rossa project benefitting him in Basilicata.
"It's absurd to reform the Constitution if you don't even
know if we'll have a government on April 19 after the
no-confidence motion," said Dell'Orco.
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