Shock Senate defeat rocks Italy s ruling Democratic Party

Rome April 6 (IANS/AKI) Italy s ruling centre-left Democratic Party was on Thursday reeling from the defeat of its candidate to head a key parliamentary commission a shock result that threatens the stability of the four-month-old coalition government of Premier Paolo Gentiloni.

Members of the ruling coalition had agreed in advance to vote for the Democratic Party s candidate Giorgio Pagliari to head the upper house Senate s constitutional affairs committee.

But Pagliari lost by a large margin to Salvatore Torrisi from the centrist Popular Alliance Party in a secret ballot that saw members of Gentiloni s coalition break ranks. The Popular Alliance is the government s coalition partner.

Pagliari s 11-16 vote defeat by Torrisi meant that up to five coalition members voted with the opposition grassroots Five-Star movement and ex-Premier s Silvio Berlusconi s Forza Italia party throwing into doubt the government s majority in the Senate.

The constitutional affairs committee has an important role to play in changing the country s electoral law before national polls due by February next year and which many observers predict will be called sooner.

Wednesday s defeat compounds the problems faced by Gentiloni who has been struggling with a split in the Democratic Party between a small but influential group of leftwingers and supporters of reformist ex-Premier Matteo Renzi who shifted the party rightwards.

Leaving aside the electoral law there is a problem with the government s majority. How does Gentiloni plan to carry on? Renzi said after Wednesday s Senate vote according to sources quoted by La Repubblica newspaper on Thursday.

Renzi who stood down as Prime Minister after his crushing defeat in a constitutional reforms referendum in December is expected to win Democratic Party primaries on April 30 and is keen to return to the political fray with a stronger mandate.

Renzi supports early elections to give Italy fresh political impetus and opposition parties including Five Star and the anti-immigrant Northern League also back early polls.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella appointed Gentiloni caretaker Premier in December until fresh elections are held when the parliament passes a new electoral law.

--IANS/AKI
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