Cabinet approves confidence vote in bill nixing provinces

Part of effort to trim expenses, simplify governance

(ANSA) - Rome, March 26 - The cabinet of Premier Matteo Renzi authorized a confidence vote in a bill to eliminate Italian provinces on Wednesday after struggling to drum up support in the Senate a day earlier. Putting the bill to a confidence vote obliges supporters of Renzi to approve it or risk toppling the government. The bill is part of a wider effort to trim spending and make the country easier to govern. It also aims to encourage mergers of municipal governments.

Other planned measures meant to streamline government include a bill to eventually strip the Senate of its lawmaking ability, leaving that role to the Lower House. The weaknesses and pitfalls of Italy's complex political system were brought into sharp focus in February last year, when a virtual three-way tie in national elections brought parliament to a grinding halt that lasted for two months.