TEXT SIZE
February 22, 2014
Italian center-left leader Matteo Renzi took office on Saturday as his
country's youngest prime minister, promising a new era of stable
government after he forced out his predecessor over the slow pace of
economic reforms.
The 39-year-old former mayor of Florence has named a low-profile list of ministers with a mix of politicians and technocrats that includes no figures capable of challenging his control. Its success or failure will therefore be seen as his responsibility alone.
With an average age under 48, the 16-member Cabinet is one of the smallest and youngest in recent Italian history. Half its members are women, the highest proportion ever.
But Renzi faces widespread skepticism that his new government has the political maturity to tackle the country's formidable challenges.
The Italian economy is only just beginning to recover after several years of stagnation. Youth unemployment is around 40 percent.
Renzi, who won the leadership of the center-left Democratic Party only in December, forced his party rival Enrico Letta to resign the prime ministership last week after repeatedly attacking him for not moving more quickly on economic reforms.
The 39-year-old former mayor of Florence has named a low-profile list of ministers with a mix of politicians and technocrats that includes no figures capable of challenging his control. Its success or failure will therefore be seen as his responsibility alone.
With an average age under 48, the 16-member Cabinet is one of the smallest and youngest in recent Italian history. Half its members are women, the highest proportion ever.
But Renzi faces widespread skepticism that his new government has the political maturity to tackle the country's formidable challenges.
The Italian economy is only just beginning to recover after several years of stagnation. Youth unemployment is around 40 percent.
Renzi, who won the leadership of the center-left Democratic Party only in December, forced his party rival Enrico Letta to resign the prime ministership last week after repeatedly attacking him for not moving more quickly on economic reforms.
No comments:
Post a Comment