Italian minister says believes Matteo Renzi will resign if defeated on December 4

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (Source: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, file)

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will almost certainly resign if he loses a Dec. 4 referendum on constitutional reform, Transport Minister Graziano Delrio said on Friday. “I believe that … (if defeated) Renzi will go to the head of state and hand in his resignation,” Delrio, who is close to Renzi, told state television.

Political officials have said that President Sergio Mattarella might try to convince Renzi to stay in office to guarantee political stability in Italy. If Renzi refuses, the president is likely to seek another person to take charge of a new government to oversee electoral reform.