ITALY: ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER ROMANO PRODI WINS A CONFIDENCE VOTE IN THE LOWER CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES

Record ID: 328586

  • Title: ITALY: ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER ROMANO PRODI WINS A CONFIDENCE VOTE IN THE LOWER CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES
  • Date: 16th October 1997
  • Summary: ROME, ITALY (OCTOBER 16, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV OF EXTERIOR OF CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES 0.06 2. CU ITALIAN FLAG 0.12 3. TV INTERIOR OF CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES 0.16 4. SV ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER ROMANO PRODI SEATED (WITH BLUE TIE) 0.20 5. SV COMMUNIST REFOUNDATION PARTY LEADER FAUSTO BERTINOTTI SEATED (CENTRE OF PICTURE) 0.28 6. TV DEPUTIES CLAPPING 0.32 7. LV OF CHAMBER, DEPUTIES BEING CALLED TO VOTE 0.40 8. SV PRIME MINISTER ROMANO PRODI WALKING PAST SPEAKER AFTER VOTING 0.45 9. SV FORZA ITALIA LEADER SILVIO BERLUSCONI WALKING PAST SPEAKER AFTER VOTING 0.52 10. SV COMMUNIST REFOUNDATION LEADER FAUSTO BERTINOTTI WALKING PAST SPEAKER AFTER VOTING 1.04 11. SV DEPUTIES WAITING TO VOTE 1.07 12. SV NATIONAL ALLIANCE LEADER LEADER GIANFRANCO FINI (DARK HAIR, RIGHT HAND SIDE OF PICTURE) 1.15 13. CU OF RESULTS BOARD 1.20 14. SV HOUSE SPEAKER LUCIANO VIOLANTE ANNOUNCING RESULTS, PULL OUT LV OF CHAMBER 1.40 Initials P3 S3 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 31st October 1997 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ROME, ITALY
  • City:
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVA3A2XBM8F9AHWKTHUWDD5VKNS1
  • Story Text: Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has won a confidence vote in the lower Chamber of Deputies, officially reinstating his centre-left government one week after it fell in a budget row with hard-left allies.

    Prodi won Thursday's (October 16) challenge by 319 votes to 285 with two abstentions, after gaining the backing of the Communist Refoundation party, whose support he needs for a majority In exchange Prodi agreed to changes to his 1998 budget including a cut in working hours, protection for some pension rights and a reduction in proposed spending cuts.

    The changes, due to be introduced into draft law in January, will cut the working week to 35 hours from 40 by the year 20001 -- a move which has drawn severe criticism from employers and unions.

    The employers body Confindustria says that cutting the working week would seriously jeopardise efforts to reduce the jobless rate, currently running at around 12 percent nationwide and nudging 22 percent in the impoverished south.

    Unions, normally expected to favour shorter working hours for their members, say it does not figure as a top priority.

    Prodi resigned a week ago, but President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro revoked his resignation on Tuesday and sent him back to the Chamber for the vote, which revives his 17-month-old centre-left government.

    The Italian leader said on Thursday he expected his budget to be passed by parliament before Christmas. Prior to the vote he warned deputies Italy would be unlikely to qualify as a founder member of the European single currency if they failed to pass the budget.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register