ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Wednesday defeated the second of two no-confidence motions brought by the opposition in parliament which accused the government of having a conflict of interest during the rescue of four small banks last year.
The Senate voted 174 to 84 to reject the motion. The votes, brought by two separate opposition groups, would have prompted the collapse of Renzi's government had he lost them.
Both motions accused Renzi's government of having a conflict of interest because his 35-year-old Reform Minister Maria Elena Boschi was linked to one of the lenders. She held some shares and her father served on the board.