Faced with a ‘clear and obvious’ defeat, Renzi resigns as party leader

Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned on Monday from his position as leader of the Democratic Party (PD), the center-left party, following a heavy defeat in which his party received 18.7% of the votes in Sunday’s parliamentary elections.

The PD experienced a “clear and obvious defeat and it is evident that under these conditions I am stepping down from leading the party,” he told reporters, stating that he would not attend the party congress.

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At that congress, which is expected to take place in the coming weeks, a “not some appointee chosen in some salon, but a secretary elected in the primaries” should be elected, he emphasized.

With the historic breakthrough of populist and right-wing movements, which now hold a majority of votes and seats, “Italy is facing a situation where those who clearly won the elections do not have the votes to govern,” he pointed out.

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“The PD will not be a crutch for an anti-establishment government and would rather be in opposition,” he guaranteed and promised that he is satisfied with his new duty as senator of Florence. He highlighted several significant differences with the right-wing League of Matteo Salvini and the populist Five Star Movement (M5S) led by Luigi Di Maio, particularly regarding the European Union and the way of conducting politics. He promised that the PD would say “yes to everything that can serve Italy.”