Renzi awaits mandate from Italian president to form government

Matteo Renzi

, the newest kid on the Italian government block, may this morning receive a preliminary mandate from state p

resident Giorgio Napolitano to form Italy's 65th post-war government.

Even if the pace of this crisis appeared to slow yesterday as Democratic Party (PD) leader Mr Renzi encountered the first of a series of realpolitik problems, it is hoped that by next weekend his government will have been formed and sworn into office.

Some commentators suggest the new government will be ready to face confidence votes in the Senate on Friday and in the lower house on Saturday. That may prove optimistic given that intended coalition partners, the ex-Berlusconi New Centre Right (NCD), and the PD left raised issues yesterday.

NCD leader Angelino Alfano promised that if the new Renzi government adopted too leftist a programme, his party would withdraw.

The PD far left stated the opposite, with senior figure Pippo Civati suggesting that such was their "unease" about the way Mr Renzi had replaced party colleague, prime minister Enrico Letta, at a PD party meeting last Thursday, that as many as 10 PD senators may vote against the Renzi government in the first confidence vote in the Senate. While Renzi's majority is not a risk in the lower house, it could face a tight squeeze in the Senate.