Italy’s New Prime Minister Sworn In

Renzui and his cabinet ministers were sworn in on Saturday before Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, starting their task to accelerate reforms and revive the troubled economy.

The new Italian premier also becomes the European Union’s youngest leader after his swearing in. The coalition government formed by the leader of the center-left Democratic Party (PD), the largest party in parliament, is composed of 16 ministers, mainly from the center-left political circle, including eight women, more than ever.

The 39-year-old nicknamed the "demolition man" after tactfully forcing former Prime Minister Enrico Lettabe out of office, became the youngest-ever prime minister in Italy with the youngest-ever cabinet, which has an average age of 47.8.

Renzi said after the swear-in ceremony that his team was ready to start work on Saturday to do the things that need to be done straight away. He said the new government has the chance to achieve reforms that have not be done for years and "the country has no alternative."

Renzi's government would be supported by the same political forces  that backed his predecessor with NCD and minor centrist parties in the majority, and the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement (M5S) and the center-right Forza Italia (FI) party of three-time prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in the opposition.

The government is expected to win a confidence vote in the two chambers of parliament from Monday. Renzi has wished that his cabinet could stay in power until the natural end of the parliamentary term in 2018.

Earlier Renzi appeared with his wife and two sons in downtown Rome before his swearing in ceremony.

Renzi left his hotel in downtown Rome to travel to the Presidential Palace, where he was sworn in with his new government ministers. He was accompanied by his wife Agnese and sons Francesco and Emanuele.

The charismatic leader of the Democratic Party is popular among voters, and greeted passers-by and shopkeepers as he walked through Rome. Renzi took power after forcing former Prime Minister Enrico Letta to resign when his party stopped supporting him.

Source: BBC News