Referendum on MP cut gets required votes

(ANSA) - Rome, January 10 - A referendum on cutting the number of Italian parliamentarians got the required 64 votes on Friday. The quorum was reached thanks to Senators from the opposition League party.
    The bid to put to a confirmatory referendum a law that will see the number of Italian parliamentarians slashed was held up Thursday after four Senators pulled their support.
    The law cuts Italy's parliamentarians from 945 to 600, with Lower House seats going from 630 to 400 and those in the Senate from 315 to 200.
    This does not include four life Senators.
    The bid for a confirmatory referendum needed the signature of 64 members of one house of parliament to go ahead.
    That quota had been reached in the Senate but four members of Silvio Berlusconi's opposition centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party have changed their minds.
    Andrea Cangini, also a FI member, said the necessary number of signatures would be presented to the supreme Court of Cassation by January 12.
    "Four have withdrawn their signatures but others are coming so, in order to do things correctly, we asked the Cassation for a postponement".