- Title: Italian PM Conte to address Senate on Aug 20 over govt crisis
- Date: 13th August 2019
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (AUGUST 13, 2019) (REUTERS) ITALIAN INTERIOR MINISTER MATTEO SALVINI ARRIVING AND GREETING FORMER PRIME MINISTER MATTEO RENZI MEDIA SALVINI GREETING SENATORS MEDIA SALVINI GREETING SENATORS VIEW OF CHAMBER FORMER PRIME MINISTER MATTEO RENZI TAKING SEAT SENATORS IN CHAMBER SPEAKER OF SENATE, MARIA ELISABETTA ALBERTI CASELLATI IN CHAMBER SALVINI TYPING ON MOBILE PHONE MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN INTERIOR MINISTER MATTEO SALVINI, SAYING: "You asked one thing and everyone took for granted that we would not say yes, and who knows because of what fear and who knows for what political calculation. Mission accepted. Challenge accepted. Let’s cut, for the first time in history, together, 345 parliamentarians and then we will vote the next day. If you (5-Star) are ready, we are ready, otherwise..." VARIOUS OF SENATORS APPLAUDING SALVINI SMILING SENATOR SHOUTING (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN INTERIOR MINISTER MATTEO SALVINI SAYING (SOUNDBITE ENDS WITH SHOT OF SENATORS APPLAUDING): "5-Star friends, before allying yourself to this lot here (PD) think twice about it that is my advice. Think three times. Then good luck and do what you think is right to do. We are going with heads high, goodness what tiredness, we are going with heads high to ask Italians the possibility to take by the hand this country for the next five years and we are not afraid to get up from our ministerial seats or from the senate, those who are afraid die every day. Those who are not afraid die just once. Long live liberty, long live Italy, long live democracy." MEDIA SENATORS RAISING HANDS ELECTRONIC BOARD SHOWING VOTE SENATORS IN CHAMBER / ELECTRONIC BOARD SHOWING VOTE SPEAKER OF SENATE, MARIA ELISABETTA ALBERTI CASELLATI IN CHAMBER SENATORS IN CHAMBER
- Embargoed: 27th August 2019 19:53
- Keywords: Italian government crisis Matteo Salvini vote politics Matteo Renzi
- Location: ROME, ITALY
- City: ROME, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001AS1YIPZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will address the Senate on August 20 over the political crisis sweeping the government after his coalition partner the far-right League filed a no-confidence motion in the administration.
In a setback for League leader Matteo Salvini, the Senate voted on Tuesday (August 13) not to hold an immediate no-confidence vote, but instead played for time and decided to allow Conte to speak to the upper house beforehand.
Addressing the Italian Senate, Salvini said he would accept a proposal by ruling coalition partner the 5-Star Movement to slash the number of members of parliament, as long as elections were held immediately afterwards.
"We are not afraid to get up from our ministerial seats or from the senate, those who are afraid die every day. Those who are not afraid die just once," Salvini said.
Rightist parties supported Salvini's request for a debate on Wednesday, but the ruling 5-Star Movement backed by opposition centre-left parliamentarians defeated the bid, thereby seizing the initiative over the timetable of the crisis.
(Production: Carmelo Camilli, Oriana Boselli, Eleanor Biles) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
