Italian President chooses Prime Minister designate

(Vatican Radio) Italian President Giorgio Napolitano today asked centre-left deputy leader Enrico Letta to form a new government. Letta, who is a member of the Democratic Party or (PD), said he would start talks to form a broad-based coalition on Thursday. It will likely go to parliament for a vote of confidence by early next week.

The prime minister designate is expected to select a group of ministers, mixed between politicians and technocrats, under the guidance of Napolitano.

Speaking to Lydia O’Kane, Professor of International Relations at the American University of Rome, James Walston gave his assessment of this choice of leader.

“Enrico Letta has all the requisites of a bridge builder, he has been in politics on the left but close to the Christian Democrats for many years, so he is politically not marked on one side or the other.

Italy has been without a working government since elections in the euro zone's third
largest economy in February. Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with James Walston