Italian gov't wins parliament vote on extra spending after failure in first round

By Giada Zampano

ROME (AA) - The Italian government won parliamentary approval on Friday for about 8 billion euros in additional borrowing, after a day before it failed to gain enough votes in the lower house to pass the measure.

The parliamentary defeat dealt an unexpected blow to the right-wing coalition led by Premier Giorgia Meloni, who had to face a second vote on Friday, winning it by 221 to 116.

Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti – the main sponsor behind the measure – on Thursday downplayed divisions within the right-wing bloc, saying they were not behind the incident in parliament.

He blamed lawmakers who failed to show up for the first vote during a week that included a public holiday, because they “didn’t realize” the importance of the vote.

Italy's government needed parliamentary approval for additional borrowing as part of a key document that outlines Rome's budget framework for the coming years.

Meloni on Thursday was in London for a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and was surprised by the unexpected defeat.

She called an extraordinary cabinet meeting in the afternoon to approve the document again and seek a new parliamentary vote, which took place successfully on Friday morning.

Meloni aimed at a swift approval of the economic measure because she wants to use additional financial resources to fund a new aid package for low-income workers, which has to be discussed on May 1, International Workers' Day, and was previously submitted to unions.