Renzi set to be nominated as Italy’s prime minister

The 39-year-old Florence mayor arrived at the palace on Monday morning to receive the nomination from President Giorgio Napolitano.
 
Upon receiving the nomination, Renzi will have to form a government, which will then have to be approved by President Napolitano before Renzi can be sworn into office.
 
Renzi would become the country’s youngest-ever prime minister once his cabinet is approved by Napolitano. He will then be replacing Enrico Letta.
 
Letta was forced to quit on February 14 after the Democratic Party, of which Letta was also a member, fired him in what critics described as a “palace coup.” The move was triggered by Renzi, who had called for a new government.
 
Renzi accused Letta of failing to act forcefully enough to combat Italy’s protracted economic downturn.
 
The Florence mayor has promised that, if elected, he would impose major reforms to cut bureaucratic spending, boost growth and reduce unemployment, which hit a 37-year record high last November.
 
Over the past decade, Italy has been the slowest-growing economy in the eurozone.
 
The Italian bureau of statistics said the country’s unemployment level increased by 5.7 percent or over 4 million people in 2013 compared to the previous year.
 
The agency revealed that nearly one million people left the labor market due to redundancies, dismissals and retirements in 2013.
 
Italians have been staging protests against high unemployment, economic adversity and hardship over a series of government-imposed austerity packages in the recent past.