Italy’s Foreign Minister Gentiloni appointed prime minister-designate
Italy - Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni was appointed prime minister-designate Sunday as the country begins picking up the pieces amid political turmoil. Gentiloni told journalists yesterday that he had accepted Italian President Sergio Mattarella’s request to form a new government after meeting with the president at the Palace of Quirinale. If successful, he will need Parliament’s approval to officially assume the office of prime minister. He would replace caretaker Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who officially resigned Wednesday after a crushing defeat in a referendum on constitutional changes he proposed. after the one-hour meeting with Mattarella, Gentiloni said he would continue in the path of the previous government and make sure that a draft electoral law is approved. In an effort to make the passage of laws a quicker and easier process, the electoral law would allocate extra parliamentary seats to a party that wins more than 40% of the vote. But the law is seen as part and parcel of Renzi’s referendum, which sought to reduce the number of seats in the upper house, the Senato. Critics said that Renzi’s proposals would give too much power to his party. almost 60% of voters last week rejected Renzi’s proposals for constitutional change in what was seen as a referendum on the prime minister’s leadership and a litmus test for the rise of populism in the country. (CNN)