Italy PM Renzi defends flagship reform before half-empty chamber

Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi gestures as he speaks during a news conference about ultrafast internet at the heart of his reformist agenda in Rome, Italy, April 7, 2016. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, speaking on Monday to a half-empty parliament that had been abandoned by the opposition, defended his flagship constitutional reform, due to be voted on this week.

After more than two years in parliament, voting will begin in the lower house on Tuesday on the measure aimed at streamlining the legislative process.