Press on with boosting majority says govt summit

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 20 - An Italian government summit on Wednesday agreed that Premier Giuseppe Conte must press on with a bid to boost his majority after gaining only a relative and not absolute one in a Senate confidence vote on Tuesday night.
    Conte got 156 votes, five shy of the 161 he needs to hold an absolute majority in the upper house, where his majority was stripped by the defection of ex-premier Matteo Renzi's Italia Viva (IV) party.
    Ruling party leaders agreed at Wednesday's summit in a video-conference with Conte that they must pursue the process of reinforcing the majority, as well as drafting a new pact on the agenda to implement for the remainder of the parliamentary term which ends in 2023.
    They reportedly did not set a time limit on completing the process of shoring up the Senate majority.
    Democratic Party (PD) leader Nicola Zingaretti said Wednesday that a "leap into darkness" had been averted when the government survived the crunch confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday.
    Conte's executive won the confidence vote in the Senate after IV triggered a crisis by pulling its support.
    But, unlike in Monday's vote in the Lower House, the government came up short of an absolute majority, meaning uncertainty about its future remains.
    "Now we must work on two fronts - the problems of the Italian people and the government's political direction," Zingaretti told his party's Radio Immagine, adding that he had spoken to Conte after Tuesday's vote.
    "There is absolute awareness about the need to work on these two fronts.
    "Now is the time to turn a new leaf, to reinforce the government's parliamentary strength". Conte held the video meeting with representatives of the parties supporting his government on Wednesday - the PD, the 5-Star Movement (M5S) and the left-wing LeU group.
    He also is set to visit President Sergio Mattarella to discuss the situation. The centre-right opposition has said it is ready to ask Mattarella for snap elections to be held, arguing the government no longer has a working majority in the Upper House.
    The government won Tuesday's vote with the help of several life Senators and two lawmakers elected with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI) party who broke ranks. (ANSA).