MATTEO RENZI SET TO BE NAMED ITALY'S YOUNGEST PRIME MINISTER

Matteo Renzi was born on 11 January 1975. He was elected Mayor of Florence at the age of 34 since 2009 and Secretary of the Democratic Party since 2013. He was previously President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009.

He is a law graduate from the University of Florence and joined the Italian People's Party in 1996 to become its Provincial Secretary in 1999.

Matteo Renzi was strongly criticized by certain members of his own party after his suggestion that Italian politicians who were of the same generation as Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should retire.

In September 2012, Matteo Renzi announced that he would seek to become the Secretary of the Democratic Party, with a view to leading the centre-left coalition in the 2013 general election. He lost the December election, finishing second with 39% of the vote, compared to 61% for the winner Pier Luigi Bersani.

Matteo Renzi, is set to become the country’s youngest prime minister at 39- years-old after President 

Giorgio Napolitano summoned Matteo Renzi to a meeting at the presidential palace at on the 17^th of February 2014 by 10.30am, at which he was expected to ask the centre-left leader to form a government.

To govern, Matteo Renzi needs the support of the small New Centre Right (NCD) party in coalition in order for the Democratic Party (PD) to have a majority in parliament.

Angelino Alfano, the NCD leader has laid down conditions for his party’s support which include a contract to be signed and the condition that the government must not be tilted too much to the left.

If confirmed in the post, Matteo Renzi will be the third premier in a row picked by the president and not chosen by popular vote – following Enrico Letta and before him Mario Monti.

Italy is thus set for its 65th government since World War Two.

Enrico Letta resigned as prime minister on Friday after his Democratic Party (PD) forced him to make way for Matteo Renzi.

Until two weeks ago, Matteo Renzi objected the idea of taking power without first winning elections. However, this position has since changed when Italy’s main business lobby and its biggest labour union publicly abandoned Letta and called for more pragmatic way towards reforms.