The attempt to declare a vote of no confidence in Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, the leader of the far-right party “Lega” Matteo Salvini, failed in the Italian Parliament. Salvini survived the vote of no confidence in the lower house of deputies with 211 votes against 129, as reported by AFP.
The opposition accused Salvini’s party, “Lega,” of failing to officially sever ties with the Putin-led party “United Russia.” Left and centrist opposition parties repeatedly called on the Deputy Prime Minister to provide evidence that his political force had terminated the agreement following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The vote of no confidence was seen as a largely symbolic gesture, given that Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s coalition government controls both chambers of parliament. The proposal for the vote of no confidence in Salvini was put forward by the centrist opposition party Azione, led by former Industry Minister Carlo Calenda. It was also supported by the left-wing “Five Star Movement,” the center-left Democratic Party, and smaller opposition forces.
Salvini has also been criticized for refusing to blame Vladimir Putin for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison. Additionally, Salvini has stated that the Russian people were right to “re-elect” Vladimir Putin as the head of Russia.
It is worth noting that Salvini has previously advocated for a review of the European Union’s sanctions against Russia and has been embroiled in controversy over his intention to travel to Moscow after February 2022, funded by the Russian Embassy in Rome.
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