Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is resigning today after suffering a heavy defeat in a referendum over his plan to reform the constitution.
In a late-night news conference, he said he took responsibility for the outcome. He said the No camp must now make clear proposals, the BBC reports.
An exit poll for state broadcaster RAI suggests 42-46% voted to back reform, compared with 54-58% voting No.
The first projections based on the official count point to a wider defeat.
Early indications have the Yes vote at 39-43% and the No at 57-61%.
“Good luck to us all,” Mr Renzi told reporters. He said he would tell a Cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon that he was resigning, and then tender his resignation to the Italian president after two-and-a-half years in office.
The president is expected to ask him to stay on at least until parliament passes a budget bill later this month.
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Mr Renzi said the reforms he proposed would have cut Italy’s bureaucracy and made the country more competitive.
But the referendum was widely seen as a chance to register discontent with the prime minister.
*Credit: News Agency of Nigeria
