Italy - Leader Wins Confidence Vote - NYTimes.com Prime Minister Enrico Letta of Italy won a confidence vote in the Senate on Wednesday, confirming his government's majority after promising sweeping overhauls and urging lawmakers to back him or risk chaos. Mr. Letta told Parliament that Italy had avoided overhauls for 20 years and could no longer afford to delay, with protests across the country this week underlining the bitter public mood after years of painful attempts to squeeze costs. Mr. Letta, backed by the center-left Democratic Party and smaller centrist and center-right groups, won the vote 173 to 127 following an even more comfortable victory in the Chamber of Deputies earlier on Wednesday. The confidence votes were called to confirm his majority after former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pulled his Forza Italia party out of the governing coalition last month.