Matteo Renzi resigns as leader of country's Democratic Party
Italy's former prime minister Matteo Renzi has resigned as leader of the country's Democratic Party.
It's after they suffered defeat in the country's general election yesterday.
The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement saw its support soar to become Italy's largest single party, with approximately 31 percent of the vote.
Earlier in the day Mr Renzi says his centre-left party will not join any government led by the anti-immigrant League party or the populist 5-Star Movement, the two victorious forces in Italy's election.
Mr Renzi said both those parties represent an anti-Europeanism that he would not support and said they had had used "verbal hatred" on his Democratic Party politicians.
He said Matteo Salvini of the League and Luigi Di Maio of the 5-Stars had called his party members mafiosi, labelled them corrupt and said they had blood on their hands.
Mr Renzi says "if this is who we are, govern without us. Know that our place in this legislation is in the opposition."
Mr Renzi acknowledged that his party suffered a "total defeat" in Sunday's general election and said he would resign as party leader after a new government has been sworn in.
Italy's Matteo Renzi resigns as Democratic Party leader after election defeat https://t.co/JkHh7EFpqo pic.twitter.com/thjYgR9vL4
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 5, 2018
- Digital Desk & Press Association
