Italy again sees political turmoil: Letta quits, Renzi set to take over

Italy, long known for its troubled politics, is set to get its third unelected leader in less than three years after Prime Minister after Enrico Letta resigned on Friday, having lost the confidence of his own centre-left Democratic Party. His successor will most likely be Matteo Renzi, the 39-year-old leader of the same party, who chiefly engineered Letta's ouster.

President Napolitano pledged yesterday to resolve Italy's latest political crisis "as quickly as possible". A statement from his office said Letta had resigned "irrevocably" and there was no need for a confidence vote in parliament.

"The president will hold consultations as quickly as possible with parliamentary groups to complete the next phase and deliver an effective solution to the crisis," the statement continued, expressing the 88-year-old president's concern about the country's "delicate economic situation" and the need for urgent reform.

In a manner somewhat akin to India's Arvind Kejriwal, Renzi - a former Boy Scout and Wheel of Fortune winner - has cultivated an 'Everyman' or aam admi appeal. His agenda, according to a commentator in The Independent, seems as much psychological as political: to shake Italy out of its malaise, push through major changes and shatter the entrenched old guard that dominates politics but has failed to reverse Italy's painful decline.

Renzi provoked the latest crisis with an emergency party meeting in Rome on Thursday, where he accused the prime minister of failing to pull the country out of the "quagmire" and called on him to step aside. Party members overwhelmingly endorsed Renzi's proposals and the prime minister realised he had no choice but to resign.

Having received party backing for a "new phase" in Italian politics, Renzi, currently the mayor of Florence, is poised to be appointed the country's third unelected prime minister since Silvio Berlusconi resigned in November 2011.

Concluding a dramatic 24 hours, Letta (47) had a farewell toast with ministers at his final cabinet meeting at the Chigi Palace in Rome yesterday before driving himself to the presidential palace to hand his resignation to President Napolitano.

He tweeted a "thanks to all those who helped me" and implied that he was living in the moment - he said he treated "Every day as if it was the last." Meanwhile, at a ceremony to mark St Valentine's Day in Florence, Renzi greeted couples celebrating 50 years of marriage and relished his latest political manoeuvre. "For me it is delicate to say so but this is one of the most beautiful moments in the past five years," he said.

President Napolitano began talks with key parliamentary leaders late on Friday and consultations were expected to continue today about forming what will be the country's 69th government since World War II.

Letta was appointed prime minister 10 months ago. Silvio Berlusconi, the former prime minister forced out of the Senate after his tax fraud conviction was upheld last year, is expected to lead his centre-right Forza Italia in consultations and his support could be crucial.