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Italy’s Conte Narrowly Wins Confidence Vote

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – Italy’s embattled Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte won a crucial Senate confidence vote Tuesday night, allowing him to keep his shaky coalition afloat.

But Conte, who has led two different administrations since 2018, failed to secure the support needed from lawmakers to govern the country with its pandemic-troubled economy effectively.

The vote went 156 to 140 in his favor. There were 16 abstentions, thanks to a small but critical coalition ally that left the center-left coalition last week. Conte also won a vote of confidence in the lower house on Monday.

Two of the yes votes came from the center-right opposition party led by ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi

The victory ends the turmoil triggered by former prime minister Matteo Renzi, who last week took his small Italia Viva party from the ruling coalition. He left amid tensions over economic recovery and handling the coronavirus pandemic that authorities say claimed over 83,000 lives in Italy.

In his speech to senators, Conte accused Italia Viva of having created chaos by persistently making demands that were “clearly divisive.”

“I assure you it’s very hard to govern in these conditions, with people who continuously place mines in our path and try to undermine the political balance patiently reached by the coalition,” Conte said.

He appealed to “constructors” to stave off the government’s collapse in the middle of the pandemic. He pledged to shake up his cabinet, modernize the country and boost the economy.

But it won’t be easy. An absolute majority in the Senate is 161, so to pass critical legislation, Conte faces the unpleasant prospect of relying on lawmakers outside his coalition.

Conte said on social networking site Twitter that “now the aim is to make this majority more solid. Italy doesn’t have a minute to lose. Right to work to overcome the health emergency and the economic crisis.”

Had he lost, Conte would have been required to resign. Analysts said he could still opt to hand in his resignation to Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in a bid to be tapped anew to try to cobble together a revamped, more solid coalition. Conte’s tweet indicated, however, that he wanted to try to forge on regardless of the political challenges ahead.