Matteo Renzi has come a long way since his days in the scouts at Rignano sull’Arno. At 39, Italy’s new prime minister is its youngest ever, and he is also the youngest prime minister in the European Union at present.
Renzi’s interest in politics began in high school, when he was a school representative at Florence’s Liceo Classico Dante. As a law student at university, he helped to form the Comitati per Prodi committees, which marked his first foray into politics. Upon graduating he became the provincial secretary of the Partito Popolare Italiano and coordinated the Florence branch of the La Margherita party. In 2004, he was elected president of the province of Florence. In 2008, Renzi decided to roll the dice, turning down the relatively secure second term as the provincial president; instead, he announced his candidacy to run in the Partito Democratico primaries for the mayorship of Florence, winning over 40 percent of the vote. In June 2009, Matteo Renzi became mayor of Florence.
What has Renzi achieved as president of the province and mayor—both loved and reviled—of Florence? His rise to leadership in the Tuscan capital was based on challenging the impassivity of previous administrations and that desire to introduce change polarized opinions among Florentines and foreigners alike. Renzi reached out to non-Italians from the get-go, with an event held at Four Seasons Florence in January 2009 aimed at garnering support from the expatriate community. In February 2011, he requested a space in The Florentine in which he could communicate directly with English-speaking residents and visitors.
His crowning achievement in Florence has been the pedestrianization of piazza del Duomo and other areas in the old city centre with major footfall. Frequently photographed riding a bike, he has been insistent on making Florence a ‘greener’ city, encouraging Florentines to leave their cars at home. Criticism, on the other hand, has been levelled at Renzi for not completing the tramvia project started under the watch of previous administrations—the development of lines two and three has yet to get under way. Then there is the long-unresolved issue of Florence airport, small and plagued with operational difficulties.
His modern approach has already manifested itself in his selection of cabinet as prime minister. As mayor of Florence, he halved the number of council members and introduced gender equality; compared with Berlusconi’s fourth government (2008–11), which consisted of 21 ministers and 37 undersecretaries, Renzi’s administration consists of 16 ministers: 8 men and 8 women. No Italian government has ever been either so ‘pink’ or so young: the average age is 47.
His plans as prime minister are ambitious, and time is of the essence: by the end of February, his government will concentrate on pushing through institutional and electoral reforms; in March, the focus will be on labour laws; in April, reform of public administrations; and, in May, fiscal laws.
Emblazoned on Renzi’s website are the famous words of the founder of the world scout movement, Robert Baden Powell: ‘Leave this world a little better than you found it.’ If Renzi’s legacy is such, then perhaps there is a glimmer of hope for Italy and its exit from the ongoing economic crisis.
