Renzi govt passes first Italicum vote

(ANSA) - Rome, April 29 - 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".