Government Forces Confidence Vote on 2026 Budget in the Chamber as Final Approval Nears

Overview

• The government set the confidence vote for Monday evening after opening the general debate on Sunday, with final passage targeted for Tuesday late morning.
• The budget arrived sealed from the Senate and a third reading is ruled out to avoid a provisional budget, leaving no room for amendments in the Chamber.
• Opposition parties filed 949 amendments in committee with scant prospects and revived a 2019 Meloni video to accuse the majority of stifling parliamentary scrutiny.
• Proceedings were briefly inflamed by the so‑called Hannoun case and the fiducia presentation slipped to 20:20, yet the majority kept the fast-track timetable and a marathon session on roughly 250 orders of the day is planned for Monday.
• The package is described as a roughly €22 billion maneuver with an IRPEF rate cut, tax bill relief, higher revenues from banks and insurers, increases on fuel and tobacco excises, spending cuts and PNRR reallocation, which the majority defends as balancing growth, equity and fiscal stability.