Italy's new prime minister will have the uphill task of reconciling his centre-left Democratic Party (PD) with the idea of governing with its fiercest opponent, while leading efforts to reverse a deep economic malaise, dpa reported. Enrico Letta is poised to inherit the helm of a country which has been in a recession for seven consecutive quarters and where the economy has shrunk to its 2000 levels, while youth unemployment has shot above the 35-per-cent mark. In his first remarks since being asked to form a government by President Giorgio Napolitano, Letta said his "surprise" at being nominated was "equal to the profound sense of responsibility that I feel weighing on my shoulders." He is expected to lead the PD into a coalition with Silvio Berlusconi's conservatives and centrists led by outgoing premier Mario Monti - an outcome his party had resisted with all his might since a pyrrhic victory in February elections left it short of a clear parliamentary majority. Berlusconi, for his part, had backed that solution all along. -- SPA 19:49 LOCAL TIME 16:49 GMT تغريد
