Renzi, Berlusconi reach deal on amending election-law pact

(ANSA) - Rome, November 12 - Premier Matteo Renzi reached an agreement on Wednesday with Silvio Berlusconi, the leader of the opposition centre-right Forza Italia party, during crunch talks on a new election law. "The structure of the deal is more solid than ever," read a joint statement on the leaders decision to press ahead with the so-called Nazerano pact they agreed at the start of the year. They agreed to raise the threshold to get a winner's bonus of seats to guarantee a working majority to 40%, the statement said. The statement added that differences over whether the bonus should apply to the party that comes first or the coalition would not stop the election bill being approved in the Senate by the end of the year.