Premier Matteo Renzi said
Friday that his government was "hanging in" and remained
committed to its ambitious reform programme, while warning the
political class against "self-indulgent" debates.
He returned to the subject of his programme on Friday, a
day after stressing that he does not need Silvio Berlusconi's
opposition centre-right Forza Italia to pass a key part of it -
an overhaul of Italy's slow, costly political machinery.
"Italy wants a future, not the quagmire of recent years,"
Renzi said on his Facebook page after visiting his centre-left
Democratic Party's Festa dell'Unità summer festival in
Castelgrande, near Reggio Emilia.
"The phrase repeated yesterday was 'hang in, hang in'.
Naturally we are hanging in. This country deserves enthusiasm
and courage, not self-indulgent debates".
The government's bill to change the Constitution and
revamp the country's political apparatus is set to return to
centre stage when parliament resumes work after its summer
recess.
A minority of lawmakers Renzi's own PD are hostile to the
reform, which includes transforming the Senate into a leaner
assembly of local-government representatives with limited powers
to save money and make passing legislation easier.
There has been speculation Renzi could strike a new deal
with Berlusconi to get the bill through its second reading in
the Senate, where the government has a slender majority, to
avert the threat of the reform being scuppered with the help of
PD rebels.
The Constitutional reform and a law passed earlier this
year for a new electoral system were the result of the so-called
Nazareno Pact Renzi and three-time premier Berlusconi agreed
last year.
Berlusconi, however, declared the pact dead early this
year when Renzi had President Sergio Mattarella elected head of
State against his wishes.
Renzi stressed Thursday that he was not counting on FI's
support.
"The reform will go through," Renzi said.
"We'll see if we can involve as many parties as possible.
"Forza Italia voted for this reform in its first reading
in the Senate under (whip Paolo) Romani.
"Then (FI Lower House whip Renato) Brunetta arrived and
they changed their mind.
"If they are in favour, fine, otherwise we'll pull it off
without them".
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