Italian Prime Minister to call new confidence voteNovember 29, 2013 - 18:33 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta said on Friday, Nov 29, he will call a new confidence vote in parliament to confirm his government's majority after the withdrawal of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party from the ruling coalition, according to Reuters. Letta's comment came days after his government won a confidence vote on the 2014 budget in the Senate comfortably by 171 votes to 135, despite Forza Italia formalizing its move to the opposition by voting against the coalition. Speaking on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Lithuania, Letta said the vote would be held after his center-left Democratic Party elects a new leader on December 8 and would be based on a new agenda for 2014 which would be discussed with coalition partners. "The confidence vote that the government will seek from parliament after the events which led to Forza Italia leaving will strengthen the government," said Letta, whose coalition is backed by his Democratic Party, a centrist group and a center-right group which broke away from Forza Italia. Letta said he would press on with reforms to stimulate Italy's stagnant economy but said he also intended to push for institutional measures, including a change to a widely criticized electoral law, which the squabbling political parties have failed to reform despite years of arguing. On Thursday, President Giorgio Napolitano met representatives from Forza Italia who have demanded that Letta appear before parliament for a new formal test of confidence. Following the meeting Napolitano issued a statement saying a "parliamentary passage" would have to be held to mark the shift from the "grand coalition" which emerged from a deadlocked election in February to the one which just won the budget vote. Letta is due to meet Napolitano on Monday to discuss the timing and formal details of the vote. Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | 17 bridges collapse as a result of floods in Armenia As a result of floods in Armenia’s northern Lori and Tavush provinces, 17 bridges, including five large ones, have collapsed. Armenia: Top cleric to retain title as he bids to become interim PM Galstanyan said earlier that the interim government would be tasked with stopping the “destruction of our homeland”. Ex-mayor of Karabakh capital arrested in Yerevan Ex-mayor of the Nagorno-Karabakh city of Stepanakert David Sargsyan has been arrested for 20 days. 269 people evacuated amid severe floods in Armenia’s north According to the Interior Ministry, 269 people have been evacuated from their homes in Lori and Tavush provinces. |