venerdì 13 dicembre 2013

A Florentine Victory with Renzi on Top

Matteo Renzi
by Louisa Loring



Maybe you have been following the news behind Berlusconi and his recent expulsion from Parliament but Italian politics is a lot more complicated than that with a lot of important changes happening at the moment.  It seems that the news has been laden with news about Berlusconi but there is something new to report.  This past Sunday, the poles opened to vote for the new head of Italy’s Democratic party or sometimes called the Center-Left party with 2.5 million Italians flocking to cast their vote. 

Matteo Renzi, a young, charismatic 38-year-old Florentine has been very important for Italian politics in recent years, especially for Florence. He has been the mayor of Florence since 2009 and Secretary of the Democratic party since April 2013.  Quickly gaining popularity, Renzi became an image for change not only in Florence but also, for all of Italy.

This past Sunday, he ran for the head position of the Democratic party and took the win with his promise to free up labor markets and reduce the union’s power, amongst other things.  After winning the election, Renzi expressed how this will open a new chapter for Italian government and how this win shows urgency for change.  Renzi remarked, ‘[I have no intention] to make the government fall, but making it work so that it can deliver results’. 

With ambitions and intentions to run for prime minister in the future, the born and raised Florentine is bound to play a stable and important role in Italian politics in these years to come and is a man to be followed closely.