ITALY: PRIME MINISTER LAMBERTO DINI CALLS FOR VOTE OF CONFIDENCE TO SAVE EMERGENCY BUDGET

Record ID: 328568

  • Title: ITALY: PRIME MINISTER LAMBERTO DINI CALLS FOR VOTE OF CONFIDENCE TO SAVE EMERGENCY BUDGET
  • Date: 15th March 1995
  • Summary: ROME, ITALY (MARCH 15, 1995) (REUTERS TELEVISION - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV EXT. LOWER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT 0.04 2. GV INT. LOWER HOUSE 0.07 3. SV PRIME MINISTER LAMBERTO DINI ANNOUNCING VOTE OF CONFIDENCE (ITALIAN) 0.31 4. GV/SV RIGHT AND LEFT WING SECTIONS OF LOWER HOUSE (2 SHOTS) 0.45 5. SV,HAS FORMER PRIME MINISTER SILVIO BERLUSCONI/ ZOOM-OUT (2 SHOTS) 0.58 6. SV FAVIO MUSSI OF PROGRESSIVE PARTY ACCUSING BERLUSCONI OF BRINGING DOWN LIRE (ITALIAN)/ZOOM OUT AS LEFT WING POLITICIANS APPLAUD (2 SHOTS) 1.31 8. GV VIEW OF HOUSE 1.36 9. SV BERLUSCONI SPEAKING WITH ALLIES 1.45 10. LV DINI SEATED 1.47 11. SV/CRANE BERLUSCONI WALKING OUT OF LOWER HOUSE, WAVES (2 SHOTS) 2.05 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 30th March 1995 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ROME, ITALY
  • City:
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVA9HDKMZI4MA7USG15WAKK7JZIT
  • Story Text: Prime Minister Lamberto Dini called a confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday (March 15) to try to save Italy's emergency budget.

    The move has been seen as a high-stakes gamble that will bring down his government if he loses.

    Dini announced the move in the Chamber of Deputies (lower house), where he said an appeal he had made for the withdrawal of amendments that would wreck the 20 trillion lire (12 billion U.S.

    dollars) package had fallen on deaf ears.

    "I am therefore calling a vote of confidence," he said.

    The decision was a dramatic gamble by Dini, a former central banker who heads a stopgap non-partisan government and has no secure majority in the 630-member Chamber.

    Victory would sweep aside the amendments to the mini-budget, drawn up to keep Italy's 138.6 trillion lire (82 billion U.S.

    dollars) deficit within target, but defeat would oblige him to resign.

    Dini's predecessor as prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who is pressing for a snap general election, said his centre-right Freedom Alliance coalition would probably oppose Dini in the confidence vote.

    The Marxist party Communist Refoundation, with 38 deputies, could hold the balance of power in a vote and its leader Fausto Bertinotti told the chamber after Dini spoke that his group would vote against him.

    A confidence vote is traditionally held 24 hours after a government requests one and parliamentary party leaders were expected to meet to set a timetable for the do-or-die debate.


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