Italian parliament approves right-wing government's 2023 budget

The Italian government has pushed its budget for the next year through parliament, with the Senate - the smaller of Rome's two chambers - voting in favour of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's budget plan.
The Chamber of Deputies had already approved the law on Saturday, before 107 Senate parliamentarians voted for the budget and 69 against on Thursday.
"Mission accomplished," said Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti after the vote. The right-wing government had combined both votes with the vote of confidence, ensuring that its own majority was secured.
Meloni's budget for 2023 primarily includes special measures to help families and businesses fight high energy costs.
Some other measures drew strong criticism from opposition parties, such as the abolition of the basic income support "Reddito di Cittadinanza."
Unlike in the Chamber of Deputies, where individual aspects of the budget had been negotiated and voted on, the Senate could only vote on the bill in its entirety.