Italy’s Youngest-ever PM Renzi Sworn in

Local Editor

Italy's youngest-ever Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his fresh-faced cabinet were sworn in Saturday, amid widespread skepticism that the new government has the political maturity to tackle the country's formidable challenges.
The former mayor of Florence was accompanied by his wife and three children to the formal ceremony in Italy's presidential palace, and smiled widely as he watched his new team sworn in by President Giorgio Napolitano.

The center-left leader takes over the reins of the Eurozone's third largest economy in a period of increasing frustration among ordinary Italians hard hit by a deep recession and weary of broken political promises.

In his 16-strong cabinet, half of the new ministers are women and -with an average age of 47.8 years - it is the youngest government in Italy's history.

European partners will be watching closely to see whether the 39-year-old can revolutionize the halls of power after ousting his predecessor Enrico Letta for failing to enact reforms in a country often perceived as stifled by corruption and bureaucracy.
The new prime minister had made it clear he was reluctant to keep a team that worked with Letta, but many analysts expressed surprise over the former Florence mayor's decision to change the majority of posts, including key offices such as foreign minister.

Most political watchers agreed that Renzi's best decision was to give the key post of finance minister to Pier Carlo Padoan, the chief economist at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Italy is struggling to reverse the effects of a deep recession and is lumbered with a public debt equivalent to 130 percent of total economic output.

The unemployment rate stands at a near record 12.7 percent, with joblessness at 41.6 percent among the young.

Accepting the role of prime minister on Friday after three hours of talks with president Giorgio Napolitano, Renzi spoke of the "responsibility, delicacy and extraordinary honor which comes from creating a government capable of bringing hope."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team