(supersedes previous)Premier
Matteo Renzi told the Senate Tuesday "I accept the challenge on
morality in politics - always a slippery subject".
The premier was replying to the first of two no-confidence
motions against his government in the wake of a probe into
oil-industry graft and corruption, lodged by the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), Silvio Berlusconi's
center-right Forza Italia (FI) party and the rightwing Northern
League.
The center-left premier told lawmakers his administration
has "undeniably" enacted the reforms it said it would carry out.
"One can legitimately disagree with the measures but it is
impossible to deny that the issues at the heart of our program
have been successfully faced by government and parliament," he
said. "I'm referring to constitutional reform, the electoral law
and tax measures".
The center-right opposition filed the no-confidence
motions in the wake of a probe into alleged misconduct at oil
and gas giant ENI plants in the southern Basilicata region.
The oil-industry businessman boyfriend of former industry
minister Federica Guidi - who resigned earlier this month - is
one of the suspects in the investigation, which has led to both
Guidi and Reform Minister Maria Elena Boschi being questioned by
prosecutors.
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