Advertisement

Italian president rejects PM Matteo Renzi's formal resignation

Italian President Sergio Mattarella rejected the resignation for the second time, asking Renzi to stay on until his replacement is found.

By Stephen Feller
Outgoing Italian Premier Matteo Renzi (C) arrives at the Quirinal Palace to tender his formal resignation to President Sergio Mattarella after the "No" vote won Sunday's constitutional referendum. Mattarella asked Renzi to stay on until his successor is selected. Photo by Angelo Carconi/European Pressphoto Agency
Outgoing Italian Premier Matteo Renzi (C) arrives at the Quirinal Palace to tender his formal resignation to President Sergio Mattarella after the "No" vote won Sunday's constitutional referendum. Mattarella asked Renzi to stay on until his successor is selected. Photo by Angelo Carconi/European Pressphoto Agency

ROME, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi attempted to resign for the second time since voters rejected his proposed changes to the Constitution, but it appears he will stick around to help choose his successor as well.

President Sergio Mattarella is set to begin three days of deliberations for party leaders and members of the Italian Parliament to start looking for a replacement for Renzi and consider whether elections will happen to form the next Italian government.

Advertisement

The next election is scheduled for 2018, but leaders expect a debate between other political parties who may request an immediate election in early 2017. Renzi's Democratic Party is expected to say the country should wait.

"We are scared of nothing and of no one, so if other political forces want early elections, let them say so," Renzi said in a speech Wednesday.

Renzi said Monday he would step down as promised after 60 percent of Italian voters rejected his proposed constitutional changes -- which he has now attempted to do twice.

Renzi's plan was to tender his resignation again after the Italian Senate passed the 2017 budget -- which it did -- meeting with Mattarella later in the day to quit his job.

Advertisement

Mattarella asked Renzi to stay on to keep normal government business moving until a replacement was found. Renzi also is expected to have a voice in choosing the next prime minister and how a new government forms. That, some experts say, could take time.

"This is a real mess," Giorgio Freddi, a professor of political science at Bologna University, told Bloomberg. "Mattarella may even be forced at the end of it all to ask Renzi to stay on for quite some time, until early next year."

Latest Headlines