By Stefania Fumo
ROME, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The immediate political future of Italy is now in the hands of President Sergio Mattarella, whose task is to confer a mandate to form a new government on whomever he picks to succeed resigning Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
In a midnight press conference early Monday morning, Renzi told the nation he will be stepping down after an overwhelming defeat in Sunday's referendum on his government's constitutional reform law, which was rejected by close to 60 percent of voters.
The Interior Ministry said turnout was an impressive 65.47 percent,with 59.11 percent or 19,419,507 people voting "No" or 40.89 percent or 13,432,208 voting "Yes."
Renzi said he took "all the responsibility" for the defeat and that the Italian people have spoken "clearly and unequivocally".
"We leave with no regrets," Renzi said. "As I made clear from the start, my experience in government ends here".
On Monday, sources said Renzi plans to present his "irreversible" resignation to Mattarella on Monday evening, following a cabinet meeting. The prime minister has already met with the president earlier Monday, spending over an hour in talks. Sources say he may agree to remain until the Senate approval of his government's 2017 budget.
Also on Monday, Mattarella in a statement urged all sides to ensure "a climate of serenity and mutual respect" and that "the high turnout in Sunday's referendum is a testament to a solid democracy (and) an impassioned country (that is) capable of active participation."
"Institutions must ensure the deadlines and commitments we face are respected, guaranteeing responses that are commensurate with the current issues," the statement said.
One of the possible outcomes is that Mattarella will confer a mandate on somebody to form an interim government to pass the 2017 budget bill and a new electoral law. Among the names mooted to head up this caretaker administration are those of Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, and Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso.
The president of the country at this point also has the power to dissolve parliament and call snap elections, but this is an unlikely scenario as Mattarella has already said he is against such a move in the absence of an electoral law that is valid for both houses of parliament.
Currently, the Italicum law passed by the Renzi government applies to the 630-member Lower House while a pure proportional electoral law applies to the 315-member Senate.
Center-right opposition parties and the Five-Star Movement (M5S) -- which is currently Italy's second largest party - are clamoring for early elections. However, Renzi's center-left Democratic Party (PD) still holds the majority in parliament, any talks on what to do next must take the PD into account.
Depending on the outcome of Mattarella's talks with the different parties and on who gets the mandate to lead a new government, the next national election could take place either in 2018 at the end of the current legislature, or as early as spring 2017.
