Italy’s centre-left Democratic Party has a new leader. Matteo Renzi who is Mayor of Florence has won a primary election for the post. <br /><br />The voting was open to all Italians – not just party members. <br /><br />Renzi is seen as a new generation politician who is an outspoken critic of his party which has a history of deep divisions. <br /><br />On winning the election Renzi said that for other politicians, and ‘jobsworth’ party members and for the establishment and political opportunists, it had all gone wrong for them. <br /><br />Renzi’s nearest rival was Gianni Cuperio, a former communist and a candidate seen as representing the party’s old guard.<br /><br />Renzi’s new broom approach is to distance himself from the old-style Left and try to appeal more to voters in Italy’s political centre.<br /><br />Third placed was the web-savvy Pippo Civati.<br /><br />The Democratic Party is the largest bloc in Italy’s fragile ruling coalition. Prime Minister Enrico Letta who is also a DP member did not stand in the election. A new man at the party’s helm could mean difficult times ahead between the two.
