Italy’s upcoming regional vote will not decide future of government: paper

ROME (Reuters) – The results of an upcoming regional vote will not decide the future of Italy’s national government and ruling parties will meet at the end of the month to set the executive’s agenda, Prime Minister Conte said in an interview on Monday.

“This vote is important, but it remains the expression of a regional community and is not decisive of the destiny of the national government,” Conte told Corriere della Sera daily.

Citizens of the northern region of Emilia Romagna will vote on Jan. 26 in a key election test for the government, made up of the 5-Star Movement and the Democratic Party (PD).

The centre-right opposition has won eight straight regional ballots since the last national election.

Conte added that his government would carry out a “wide” reform of the IRPEF income tax, with funds to be found from the crack down on tax evasion.

(Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Editing by Jan Harvey)