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Rome, Jan 19- After widely overcoming a question of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is submitted to the Senate vote, where he does not seem to have an absolute majority to support his Government, after the departure of Italia Viva by Matteo Renzi.

After listening to Conte’s speech, in which he called on the deputies to continue fighting the pandemic and not hand over the country to sovereign forces, the Lower House voted a motion of confidence with 321 votes in favor, 259 against and 27 abstentions, just the parliamentarians of Italia Viva.
With this result, he overcame the first obstacle, after the abandonment of the delegation of Italia Viva from the Government, but in the Senate things are much more difficult and, despite the last minute negotiations, Conte is not expected to achieve an absolute majority out of 161 votes.
In the lower house, Conte had the support of seven former M5S deputies, representatives of the MAE, parliamentarians elected abroad, and Renata Polverini, former president of the Lazio region, who with her gesture left her Forza Italia party.
But the UDC centrists did not change their minds, nor does it seem that they will do so today in the Senate, so Conte has very little margin.
The Italian media assure that, for the moment, it has remained at 152 votes and that it could reach 158 with the support of senators for life and some more, but far from the absolute majority.However, the simple majority would be satisfied with getting 155 votes, which would allow the Executive to continue governing.
Although then the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, would come into play, who wants the Executive to have a solid majority.
Italia Viva should also abstain today in its vote, especially after Conte’s speech in the Chamber of Deputies in which, although without citing them, he asserted that he was now changing “air”.

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