Berlusconi won confidence vote in parliament
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Xinhua, October 14, 2011
![Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attends the confidence vote at the lower house of the parliament in Rome, Italy, Oct. 14, 2011. [Stringer/Xinhua]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20111015/000cf1a48b7f100332ab05.jpg "Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attends the confidence vote at the lower house of the parliament in Rome, Italy, Oct. 14, 2011. [Stringer/Xinhua]") |
| Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attends the confidence vote at the lower house of the parliament in Rome, Italy, Oct. 14, 2011. [Stringer/Xinhua] |
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi won Friday a vote of confidence at the Lower House, securing once more his government's survival.
The premier obtained the confidence with 316 yes votes versus 301 no votes, while the legal number for passing the confidence vote was 309.
Berlusconi decided to ask for a confidence vote after his ruling majority suffered a severe blow on Tuesday over the approval of a budget report.
The previous defeat had promoted Italian President Giorgio Napolitano to voice concerns over the governing majority's stability and its capacity to deal with the country's economic woes.
Following Friday's confidence vote, Berlusconi said he was now free to move on with the programmed government agenda.
On Friday afternoon, the Italian prime minister held an extraordinary cabinet meeting to discuss cuts to public spending and ministries' expenditures.
Commenting on Friday's parliamentary victory, Angelino Alfano, a MP of Berlusconi's ruling People of Freedom Party and former Justice Minister, said "the confidence vote demonstrated that we enjoy both a political and numeric majority."
"This vote strengthens our coalition and boosts the government's action which will move along with the crucial reforms," added Alfano.
However, Pierluigi Bersani, leader of the leading opposition Democratic Party, said the government was "fated to die of confidence and after today's vote such an alternative is even more probable."
His party colleague Dario Franceschini argued that at each confidence vote the majority was "losing bits and pieces" and would eventually crumble down.
Outside the Lower House, youth and students staged mass demonstrations and sit-ins, throwing eggs at the parliament building.
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