Italian prime minister to resign following referendum defeat

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
(Image credit: Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced early Monday that he will turn in his formal resignation to President Sergio Mattarella later in the day, following a heavy defeat in his referendum on constitutional reforms.

Renzi said he took "full responsibility" for the loss, adding, "We gave the Italians an opportunity to change, but we didn't succeed." Renzi took office two-and-a-half-years ago promising to be an anti-establishment "demolition man," and the referendum was designed to reduce the powers of the upper house Senate and regional authorities in order to quicken the legislative process.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.