ITALIAN PM MARIO DRAGHI GETS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

New Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has confidently survived his first vote of confidence in parliament, Petra Kaminsky and Johannes Neudecker reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Late Wednesday night, 262 of the 304 voting members of the Senate in Rome voted in favour of the government of the former president of the European Central Bank, while 40 voted against. Draghi will face the second vote of confidence in the larger Chamber of Deputies on Thursday. It appears likely his cabinet will receive clear approval from parties there as well.

Earlier, Draghi called for politicians to make a joint effort against the coronavirus pandemic in his first, eagerly awaited major policy speech on Wednesday.

"Today unity is not an option but instead a duty," he told the Senate. The speech had been hotly anticipated as Draghi had not made any extensive comments to the public since his inauguration on Saturday, putting an end to more than four weeks of political crisis in the coronavirus-stricken nation.

Among the goals he presented to the Senate in his 50-minute speech were a faster vaccination campaign, and economic and administrative reforms.

Citizens have suffered greatly during the pandemic, he said, wearing a mask, and they should be able to rely on the institutions. He touched on several topics, including bringing education up to meet international standards, the importance of the European concept and Italy's role as a key member of the European Union (EU).

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