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Italy's Renzi Resigns as Party Chief, Seeks Renewed Mandate

by Associated Press

   ROME --

   Former Italian Premier Matteo Renzi has resigned as Democratic Party
   leader in a bid to win a fresh, stronger mandate before the national
   election in which populist political forces are positioned to pose the
   biggest challenge.
   As promised, Renzi told fellow Democratic leaders at a meeting Sunday
   that he was resigning. But Renzi insisted he won't submit to what he
   called the "blackmail" of a more left-leaning faction threatening a
   schism if he again seeks the top party post.
   The national election, due in early 2018, might come earlier if Premier
   Paolo Gentiloni loses control of a frequently squabbling center-left
   parliamentary majority.
   The populist, anti-euro 5-Star Movement aims to gain national power for
   the first time. It is Parliament's second-biggest party, after the
   Democrats, who govern in a center-left coalition.