What Italians think of Matteo Renzi...[ 3647 ]

Voices: What Italians think of Matteo Renzi

BBC., 17 February 2014 Last updated at 17:31 GMT

Matteo Renzi, 39, is by his own admission "hugely ambitious"

Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano has asked Matteo Renzi, the mayor of Florence, to form a new government.

Enrico Letta resigned as prime minister on Friday, after he was ousted in a vote called by Mr Renzi at a meeting of their centre-left Democratic Party.
Here Italians give their views on the man set to become their new prime minister.

Samuela Settimo, 41, School Teacher, Padua, Italy

I voted for Renzi in the last Democratic Party election because he has innovative ideas about reform (for example, reform of the Senate). Renzi seems to have practical solutions to real problems.
He seems daring and determined, with the energy to drive through difficult plans that other Italian politicians would forget about as soon an election was over.

 

Samuela sees Mr Renzi as innovative and dynamic

Italy needed a change but in spite of this I was disappointed to see Renzi rise in a non-democratic way. I know that parliament had made every effort to block his electoral reform proposals and that an election was still a long way away, but I'm worried that these events won't necessarily produce the expected effect.
Does Renzi have enough support in such a badly composed parliament to reform the country? I don't think so. Renzi also has many opponents in his own party and I don't think this government will last very long.
All I can do now is wish him good luck!
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Elia Rota, 20, University Student, Bergamo, Italy

 

 Elia thinks Mr Renzi has to show he's the real deal

Mr Renzi is in my opinion a young, ambitious man who can represent a huge number of people in the country and this is why he is the future of the Italian politics, along with [Beppe Grillo's Five Star movement] M5S. They have lots of ideas in common, but he collaborates with Berlusconi and represents only the progressive politicians in the Democratic Party.
He's an innovator, therefore he's expected to change bureaucracy, make a Job Act and make the reforms that are needed in Italy.
However, if he was elected by the country and not by the president of Italy he wouldn't lose the credibility that he had: he is now behaving like an old Italian politician and this isn't what Italians want him to do.
He needs to show us that he can do something, he needs to collaborate with the M5S and stop working with Napolitano: it actually seems that Napolitano is the real Italian PM.

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Nicola Kopij Zanin, 17, Student, Italy

I don't believe in Matteo Renzi as prime minister because he hasn't given solutions to the main Italian problems of public debt, extremely high taxes and justice, which is slow and inefficient.

 

Nicola doesn't think Mr Renzi is the answer to Italy's problems

We need a serious programme of action - big and fast - not policies in just a few areas.
All European governments (except for France) are run by centre-right parties and EU economies facing crisis are getting better: it's not the moment for socialist leaders to take over and propose reforms that will damage Italy and Europe.
Italians don't want the elderly, career politicians, they want people who are young and fresh but they also need politicians who are prepared! Renzi is young, fresh and full of ideas - but not the correct ones in my opinion. And I don't think he has enough experience to be a success.
His plans are opposed by the centre-right parties so I don't think this government will last. I think it will fold by May then hopefully we can have new elections.
This is the third government that isn't the product of an election after [Mario] Monti's and Letta's. It would be better if we were to go to new elections.

Paolo Buscaglia, 48, Industrial Consultant, Palermo, Italy

Renzi has been given a gift that he does not deserve.

 

Paolo doesn't think Mr Renzi deserves to be prime minister

Carefully listening to his speeches, it is clear that the old politics has come back to life with a new, young face. He's a fascinating character.
He was the loudest voice in the Democratic Party condemning Berlusconi's conduct but has since legitimated Berlusconi again by recognising him as the only valid interlocutor to talk about the new electoral law. The astonished voters will remember that.
Renzi disappointed many by getting the job of prime minister directly from the hands of the Italian President Napolitano. They won't mind if his reforms help the country and its economy but unfortunately Italy's economic renaissance is still far away.
Renzi has said a lot but not too much about solving the economic crisis. It's difficult to comment on his vision for the economy as set out in a two-page document called the "The Job Act".
Interviews by Danny Garlick, BBC News