Five Things To Know About Italy's Likely Next Prime Minister
A mild-mannered centrist, Enrico Letta has a well-placed uncle.
CORRIERE DELLA SERA, LA STAMPA, LA REPUBBLICA (Italy)
ROME- Italy looks set to finally begin to form a government after President Giorgio Napolitano assigned Enrico Letta with the task of forming a broad coalition government.
Letta, 46, a former cabinet minister who just recently took over the top spot within the center-left Democratic Party (PD), made his first statement soon after Napolitano's mandate Wednesday, said job creation and a new electoral law would central tasks of any new government.
Napolitano expressed his confidence in the relatively young Tuscan, writes Corriere della Sera, saying that he believes that Italy can come out of the situation positively.
Two months to the day after the national elections that left the country in a political stalemate, Letta was tasked with forming a cabinet that will win cross-party support, as well as having the confidence of the parliament. Many people have indicated that they are now ready to form a coalition under Letta, reports La Stampa, after Pierluigi Bersani stepped down last week as leader of the Democratic Party.
According to La Repubblica, Letta accepted the job, knowing that it was “a huge responsibility on his shoulders” and that Italy’s unchanging and fragile situation cannot go on.
Five things you should know about Letta:
LEANING IVORY TOWER He is a native of Pisa, and obtained degrees in Political Science, as well as European Community Law. He speaks fluent French and English.
YOUNG GUN Letta was the youngest cabinet minister in modern Italian history, serving from 1998-1999- Minister for European Policy. He later also served Industry and Trade Minister.
UNCLE GIANNI His uncle Gianni Letta has been Silvio Berlusconi’s right-hand man for years. This fact, however, has not prevented him from becoming a constant critic of the media tycoon turned politico. Berlusconi will now be an important partner in the coalition Letta hopes to lead.
TECHNO Letta can be considered a technocrat and a centrist. No, this will not make the headlines -- or at least the same kind of headlines -- as certain recent past prime ministers of Italy.
BERLUSCONI LINK II His favorite soccer team is AC Milan, owned by, yes, Silvio Berlusconi.
Letta drove himself to the meeting with President Napolitano in his understated Fiat, with car seats in the back
#Governo, #Letta arrivato al Quirinale a bordo della sua auto DIRETTA VIDEObit.ly/11NZ4fTtwitter.com/repubblicait/s…
— la Repubblica (@repubblicait) April 24, 2013
