(ANSA) - Rome, February 23 - The Senate caucus of the ruling centre-left Democratic Party (PD) on Tuesday agreed to the government filing a so-called maxi-amendment to a civil-unions bill without a provision for stepchild adoption, and putting this to a confidence vote.
That vote will likely be held Thursday.
There was no formal vote but the Senators agreed on the issue, political sources said.
The provision on adopting the biological children of partners, including same-sex ones, was removed from the bill after the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement pulled its support for last week.
Premier Matteo Renzi told his PD Tuesday that the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) "can't make fools of the PD" by "playing games" over the civil unions bill now going through parliament.
He said he "defended" a bid to get M5S on board with the bill including stepchild adoption provisions but noted that "there was an unexpected volte-face, they tricked us".
He said "now we can't risk sinking a law that is fundamental for millions of Italians".
Renzi said "the PD can't be played for fools, the M5S are playing at the expense of rights with a cavalier position."
The bill, now in its first reading in the Senate, is set to go forward without stepchild adoption as demanded by the PD's junior partner in the left-right government, the New Centre Right (NCD) party.
The M5S on Tuesday said it was ready to vote for the bill and accused the PD of being scared of parliament.
The M5S has been blamed for the likely dropping of the stepchild adoption provision after last week it refused to back a 'kangaroo amendment' to knock down other amendments presented by opponents to the bill.
But the movement said the situation was not its fault.
"We are ready on civil unions," said M5S bigwigs Roberto Fico and Luigi Di Maio at a press conference in the Senate.
M5S Senate whip Nunzia Catalfo added that the movement was owed an apology after sources said that Upper House Speaker Pietro Grasso had ruled that several kangaroo amendments to the civil unions bill were inadmissible.
Democratic Party Senator Monica Cirinnà, the rapporteur of the civil unions bill, said Tuesday that she backed Renzi's proposal to file a big amendment to the package and put it to a confidence vote.
"It's a vote of confidence in the country, not in the government," Cirinnà told a meeting of PD Senators.
"I want to ask (the opposition) SEL (Left, Ecology and Freedom party) to vote for it".
She added: "I want to avoid secret votes on articles two and three of the text".
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