What’s Next for Italy After Renzi’s Resignation: QuickTake Q&A

The emphatic rejection of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s proposed constitutional reform returns Italy to a state of political and economic uncertainty. As Renzi prepares to hand in his resignation, President Sergio Mattarella must establish whether the governing Democratic Party is stable enough to support another prime minister as he seeks to avoid the early election that could open the door to the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.

Founded as a maverick web-based movement in 2009, and led by a former comedian, Beppe Grillo, Five Star has risen to become an insurgent force mixing the EU-skeptic stance of populist parties like France’s National Front with more progressive environmental proposals. It won control of city halls in Rome and Turin in June and has pledged to carry out another referendum, on whether Italy should stay in the euro area. It led the opposition to Renzi’s attempt to limit the power of the Senate, the upper house of Italy’s parliament.