Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will resign as secretary-general of the Democratic Party after the party secured less than 20 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, Italian newswire ANSA reported Monday.

Populist, anti-establishment parties were the big winners of Sunday’s Italian election, winning a combined total of more than 50 percent of the vote. Almost half of the Democratic Party’s ministers lost their seats, as support for the party dropped to unprecedented levels. </s> ROME (Reuters) - Matteo Renzi, the head of Italy’s Democratic Party, resigned on Monday following a humiliating defeat in national elections.

Renzi, 43, also said he believed the party should not make any post-election pacts with “extremist parties” and will be in opposition to the next government. </s> Matteo Renzi, former Italian prime minister and leader of the Democratic Party | Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images Renzi resigns as PD leader after Italian election blow ‘It’s obvious that I must leave the helm of the Democratic Party,’ said former PM.

Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned as leader of the Democratic Party (PD) on Monday following the party's defeat in Sunday's election.

"It's obvious that I must leave the helm of the Democratic Party," said Renzi, 43, who led the country from 2014 to 2016.

He added that the center-left group must now "turn a new page" after suffering a "clear defeat."

“We will be in the opposition; the PD will never act as a front for government made up of anti-systemic forces,” Renzi told reporters. He added that three things distinguish the PD from the anti-establishment 5Star Movement and far-right League: "Their anti-Europeanism, their anti-politics and the verbal hatred they have directed" at Democratic Party members.”

According to preliminary results, the PD looked set to come third with about 19 percent of the vote — less than half their peak at the European elections in 2014 — while the 5Star Movement emerged as the single largest party with more than 32 percent.

Renzi's popularity, and support for his party, suffered the consequences of Italy's slow economic recovery and persistently high unemployment. Once nicknamed il rottamatore (the bulldozer) for his reformist zeal, the former mayor of Florence bet his political career on a referendum to change the constitution in 2016 — and lost.

After Sunday's inconclusive vote, no single party or coalition looks likely to be able to collect enough votes to govern alone, which could result in a hung parliament. </s> 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. </s> Italy's Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi speaks during a news conference in Brussels, Belgium April 28, 2017. Reuters/Eric Vidal Rome: Former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi was Sunday poised to win the leadership of Italy's ruling Democratic Party in a primary election, propelling him back to the forefront of the national political scene.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Peninsula. </s> The leader of Italy's Democratic Party, Matteo Renzi, has decided to step down after Sunday’s general election rout, Ansa news agency reported. Renzi’s spokesman, however, said he can’t confirm it.

A center-left bloc led by the ex-prime minister’s party scored some 23 percent, according to projections. It now trails the center-right bloc of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and the Euroskeptic Lega Nord as well as the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.

Renzi’s spokesman told Reuters that he had heard nothing about any decision to step down.

“This is a very clear defeat for us,” Michele Martina, a top figure in Renzi’s party, told reporters earlier on Monday. “We are expecting a result below our expectations... This is very clearly a negative result for us,” he said.

Andrea Marcucci, one of the party's lawmakers, admitted that voters “have spoken very clearly and irrefutably.”

“The populists have won and the Democratic Party has lost," he wrote in a Facebook post.

Renzi’s rival in Sunday’s election, Matteo Salvini, leader of the Euroskeptic Lega Nord party, has said that his bloc with Berlusconi “won” the elections and can govern.

In the meantime, Professor Marco Bassani told RT that the shake-up of the Italian political scene is rooted in the migration problem, adding that Renzi’s Democrats are “pretty much gone.”

Like this story? Share it with a friend! </s> Video: Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi says he will resign following referendum defeat

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he would resign following a stinging defeat on Sunday in a referendum over his proposals for constitutional reform. Deborah Lutterbeck reports. </s> The leader of Italy's Democratic Party, Matteo Renzi, has decided to step down after Sunday's general election rout, Ansa news agency reported. Renzi's spokesman, however, said he can't confirm it.A center-left bloc led by the ex-prime minister's party scored some 23 percent, according to the election results.Renzi's spokesman told Reuters that he had heard nothing about any decision to step down."This is a very clear defeat for us," Michele Martina, a top figure in Renzi's party, told reporters earlier on Monday. "We are expecting a result below our expectations... This is very clearly a negative result for us," he said.Andrea Marcucci, one of the party's lawmakers, admitted that voters "have spoken very clearly and irrefutably."he wrote in a Facebook post Renzi's rival in Sunday's election, Matteo Salvini, leader of the Euroskeptic Lega Nord party, has said that his bloc with Berlusconi "won" the elections and can govern.In the meantime, Professor Marco Bassani told RT that the shake-up of the Italian political scene is rooted in the migration problem, adding that Renzi's Democrats are "pretty much gone." </s> Matteo Renzi, staging a political comeback less than five months after resigning as Italy's prime minister, easily regained the leadership of the ruling Democratic Party (PD) on Sunday with an overwhelming victory in a primary election among party supporters.

ROME: Matteo Renzi, staging a political comeback less than five months after resigning as Italy's prime minister, easily regained the leadership of the ruling Democratic Party (PD) on Sunday with an overwhelming victory in a primary election among party supporters.

According to partial results, Renzi had about 72 percent of the vote, held in makeshift polling booths around the country. About 2 million party members voted in the primary. Justice Minister Andrea Orlando had 19 percent while Michele Emiliano, the governor of the southern Puglia region, had about 9 percent.

Both of his opponents, as well as Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, called to congratulate him, and Renzi gave a long victory speech at party headquarters.

"Forward together," Renzi said to applause.

Renzi, 42, resigned as prime minister in December after a crushing defeat in a referendum over constitutional reforms aimed at streamlining lawmaking. He was replaced by Gentiloni, his foreign minister, but he quickly began planning a comeback.

With a national vote due by May 2018, polls show the ruling PD has slipped behind the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, which questions the country's euro membership. Renzi's ability to counter the 5-Star surge may be crucial to fending off an existential threat to the euro zone.

However, under Italy's proportional representation voting system, no party currently looks likely to win enough seats in parliament to govern alone.

Renzi, with his confrontational leadership style, has become a divisive figure, and there is no guarantee he would be named prime minister of a future coalition government even if the PD were to win the most votes during the election.

While Renzi remains the most popular politician among PD voters, the party and his own appeal look much weaker than during his heyday as prime minister, after he failed to convert his ambitious reform agenda into reality.

Renzi's current personal approval rating is about half of the 50 percent he posted three years ago, according to the Ixe polling institute.

Polls show 5-Star now has around 30 percent of the vote and a lead of between 3 and 8 percentage points over the PD after a dispute between Renzi's loyalists and left-wing traditionalists caused a party split in February.

"I voted for Renzi because he's got more drive and determination than the others, but I'm not convinced he'll get back into government," said computer engineer Luigi Mancini, a PD supporter in Rimini on the Adriatic coast.

"With the (proportional representation) voting system we've got, it seems unlikely that anyone will get a majority," he added.
Former Prime Minister and candidate to the elections, Matteo Renzi, resigns as Secretary of the Democratic Party.