Italian government wins parliamentary confidence vote

Rome, June 6 (IANS/AKI) Italy's populist government on Wednesday won a vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament, a day after it won a similar vote in the Senate.

The alliance between the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the hard-right League gained the Chamber of Deputies' endorsement with 350 votes in favour, 236 against and 35 abstentions.

Premier Giuseppe Conte, a political newcomer, won a Senate confidence vote on Tuesday after a wide-ranging maiden speech that vowed to review European Union sanctions against Russia, called for the swift and obligatory resettlement of refugees, decent pensions, a minimum income for all citizens and fair taxation.

The coalition - Western Europe's first populist government - was sworn in last week and holds a majority in both houses of parliament, albeit a slender one in the Senate.

--IANS/AKI

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