Et tu, Matteo Renzi! The new caesar of Rome

Since the stabbing of Julius Caesar 44 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Rome’s parliament has been famed as a lively place. The tradition of adrenaline-pumping activities continued with former prime minister, the octogenarian Francesco Crispi, in 1899 challenging his critics to a duel with revolvers, and in 2011 MPs coming to blows over pension reforms after one of them accused another’s wife of having retired on a generous state pension — at the ripe old age of 39.

Last year, it was witness to a tumultuous opera as inside, lawmakers, who had backed three-time premier Silvio Berlusconi in an underage sex scandal, baulked at his conviction in a tax fraud case and stripped him of his membership; while outside, the swashbuckling septuagenarian vowed before cheering followers to not “retire to a convent” but make a comeback.

So it’s no surprise that there’s been a coup in the house, yet again. On Valentine’s Day, Enrico Letta, the second man to succeed Berlusconi as prime minister since the latter’s resignation in November 2011, was jilted by his own Democratic Party and forced to call it a day after less than 10 months in the hot seat.

The demolition was led by a party peer on the ground that Italy needs to be rescued from its economic quagmire and he is ready to take a risk and attempt to do that.

That’s no surprise either as Matteo Renzi, the successful challenger who has subsequently been asked by President Giorgio Napolitano to form the next government and prove his majority in the house, has already earned the nickname “The Scrapper”.

Besides, Renzi was the mayor of Florence since 2009 and among other things, Florence is famous for the Medicis, the legendary dynasty that gave Florence its banking system, power, and a reputation for intrigues, which at times ended in poisoning opponents.

If you believe in destiny, you could say Renzi’s rise was fated in this competitive arena of faster, higher, younger.

While Letta drives a modest Fiat, Renzi prefers a sleek white Alfa Romeo when he’s not riding his power bicycle. And while Letta made numerical history by becoming post-war Italy’s youngest minister (in 1998 when he was just 32), Renzi has now bested him again by becoming the youngest prime minister-designate Rome has seen at 39.

It is an astounding feat in a country whose icons are overwhelmingly vintage — from the 12th century Leaning Tower of Pisa and Leonardo da Vinci to the more contemporary Sophia Loren.

The average age of the long assembly of Italian PMs is 50-plus, if they are young, with 60s and 70s being the norm. While the first premier, Camillo Benso, was a sprightly 51, Amintore Fanfani assumed office in 1987 at the age of 79. Ditto Giuseppe Saraco, who headed the government in 1900. Letta himself was 47 when he took departing PM Mario Monti’s place.

Is it an omen that the only other whippersnapper who was also 39 when he took up the reins of the country was no other than Benito Mussolini? The Duce, as the fascist leader then styled himself, was also the longest ruling PM, holding sway for 21 dark years marked by violence and repression.

Que sera, sera but for now, it will be interesting to see Renzi unfold his persona and strategy. A chubby-cheeked politician with a youthful aura, he has been described by a section of the media as charismatic and bringing a “whiff of fresh air”. He cultivates the contemporary touch with regular tweets and Facebook posts and is said to order coke and pizza in cafes rather than go for fine dining.

His signature tune is ambition, boundless and perhaps overweening. Though not an elected premier or even a member of parliament, his manoeuvres to oust Letta in a coup instead of waiting to take his chances at the elections next year smack more of Machiavelli than the pledge he must have taken as a boy scout.

His Facebook posts point towards that.

“There are those who think that to take a vow is sufficient loyalty,” says a recent one in February. “And then everyone looks to the positioning, coalitions, agreements. In reality, the world has changed. We aim at the vote of others, not the leadership of others.”

Though Rome was not built in a day, Renzi had been dangling the carrot of quick reforms to topple Letta, promising an overhaul. Now that he has the whip hand, he has probably even less time than his predecessor to show his magic.

Italy faces one of the bleakest unemployment scenarios and a high level of public debt. As it assumes presidency of the European Union in July, international as well as national pressure will mount to make it meet its fiscal commitments, a task made tougher by the fall of three governments in two years. “I’m a politician,” Renzi once said. “I don’t perform miracles.” But now it is a miracle that the Catholic politician will need.

sudeshna@khaleejtimes.com