The Italian government won a confidence motion in the Senate of the national parliament on Tuesday, securing a majority against the backdrop of the country's political crisis.
156 members of the upper house of the Italian parliament voted in support of the cabinet, 140 Senate members voted against, while 16 abstained, President of the Senate, Maria Elisabetta Casellati, announced as the voting concluded.
The results were announced after a significant delay after two senators arrived late for the final procedure. After technical consultations, Casellati said their votes had been counted.
All in all, out of 321 senators, 312 were present at the vote.
Italy: Senate (upper house) confidence vote in Conte's (*) government backed by M5S (NI), PD (S&D), LeU (S&D|Left) and MAIE (*).
— Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) January 19, 2021
Result:
Confidence: 156
No confidence: 140
Abstention: 16
Absent: 9
Votes needed: 149
Absolute majority: 161#Conte #Crisidigoverno #Senato
Earlier, on Monday, Conte's confidence was approved by the Chamber of Deputies, with 321 deputies voting in support of the cabinet, 259 against, and 27 abstaining from the vote.
Apart from the raging COVID-19 pandemic, one of the biggest challenges for the government would be to rescue the Italian economy, where GDP (gross domestic product) is reportedly projected to have declined by 10% in 2020.
By mid-February, the alliance created by the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party, two pro-EU parties, must apply a recovery plan to Brussels for approval, according to reports.
