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Prime Minister Matteo Renzi tendered his resignation to the head of state on Wednesday following a weekend referendum in which Italians resoundingly rejected his proposed constitutional reforms.
President Sergio Mattarella asked Renzi to carry on in a caretaker capacity while he holds consultations with the political parties to decide the next steps, a statement from the president's office said.
The consultations will begin on Thursday at 1700 GMT and are due to end on Saturday afternoon.
Renzi bowed out with a combination of jokes, regrets and a strong hint that he wants to lead his party into an early election battle.
Prior to handing back the keys to his Palazzo Chigi residence, the 41-year-old chaired a meeting of the executive of his Democratic Party (PD).
"We are not afraid of anything or anybody, if other parties want to go to the polls .... the PD is not afraid of democracy or elections," Renzi said in a reference to an opposition clamour for a nationwide vote due in early 2018 to be brought forward by up to a year.
Ironically, Renzi's rule came to an end with his government winning a vote of confidence in the Senate, the parliamentary chamber he tried to emasculate via a referendum in which he suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday.
The confidence vote curtailed prolonged discussion on the approval of Italy's 2017 budget -- an unfinished task which had prompted President Sergio Mattarella to ask Renzi to delay his departure for a few days.
After the talks at his party headquarters, Renzi said he assumed full responsibility for the referendum but gave no indication he was considering stepping down from the leadership. He said he would be spending Thursday, a public holiday, celebrating his grandmother's 86th birthday."We have to thank the elderly," he said in a reference to pensioners supporting him in the referendum debate.
"And hopefully tomorrow I will have more luck in the Playstation battle with my sons than I have had here ... ," he added.
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08/12/2016
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