Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Tuesday survived a key non-confidence vote in the House.
The final result of the vote came out as 311 "yes," 314 "no" and 2 "abstention." Berlusconi managed to survive in the House where he does not hold a solid majority.
Before the non-confidence vote in the House, Berlusconi has succeeded in winning a confidence vote in the Senate.
As the prime minister obtained support of a majority of lawmakers in the both branches of the parliament, he avoided the fate of resignation. Now seeking a more stable majority in the parliament would be one of the most urgent tasks in Berlusconi's governing schedule.
At a parallel speech delivered at both the Senate and the House held the day before the votes, the prime minister appealed to all moderates to come over to his side and strengthen the government agenda.