ROME (AP) -- New Premier Giuliano Amato's center-left coalition government won the first of two key votes of confidence in Parliament on Friday, apparently staving off the early elections demanded by Silvio Berlusconi's conservative opposition.
Amato, a 61-year-old political veteran, won by a wider margin than expected in the first and tougher round, in the lower Chamber of Deputies. The vote was 319-298, with five abstentions -- a 21-vote victory, compared to the handful of votes that had been expected to determine the outcome.Amato had asked lawmakers to extend the center-left's 4-year-old stint in power through scheduled spring 2001 elections, pledging to push through electoral reforms meant to bring much-needed stability to Italy's politics.
"Reform of the electoral system is one of the reasons this government was born," Walter Veltroni of the Democratic Left, the coalition's largest party, said after the vote.
With that reform, Veltroni said, he could hope for "governments decided by the citizens and which have the possibility to govern with stability for the entire legislative term."
The center-left came to power in 1996 elections and has stayed on under three premiers despite infighting among the many parties of the often discordant coalition.
Amato took charge as new premier three days earlier, when Massimo D'Alema resigned following a trouncing by forces allied with Berlusconi in April 16 regional elections. Berlusconi represented the regional outcome as a voter mandate for immediate general elections.
"The day isn't far in which the citizens, with the vote of which you have so much fear, will take back the power to decide, which you have for so long held hostage," Berlusconi told lawmakers before Friday's vote.
Amato's chief danger in the lower chamber had been defections among followers disgruntled over the distribution of ministerial and undersecretary seats in his government -- which by and large was simply a reshuffling of D'Alema's Cabinet.
He is expected to have an easier time next week in the Senate vote of confidence.
If his government survives, a referendum will be held in May on whether to do away with a proportional allotment system for Parliament.
The system is faulted for giving Italy's many small parties a disproportionate influence -- one key reason why the country is now on its 58th government since World War II.
Amato told lawmakers he intended to concentrate on electoral reforms and priorities like unemployment and crime in the time before the next general elections.