Italy has its fifth prime minister in as many years - after the resignation of Matteo Renzi in the wake of a crushing referendum defeat.

The man tapped to be the new premier is Paolo Gentiloni, who has served as foreign minister under Mr Renzi.

A soft-spoken, 62-year-old heir to an aristocratic family, Mr Gentiloni is seen as a safe pair of hands to shepherd Italy to its next general election, due in a little over a year.

He is a center-left politician of the Democratic Party and is close to Mr Renzi.

Image: Matteo Renzi resigned within hours of losing a referendum on constitutional reform

Mr Gentiloni received the mandate from Italian President Sergio Mattarella and is now expected to put together a cabinet.


He said he would try to form the government "as soon as possible" and that it would move "within the same framework" as the reformist government of Mr Renzi.

"I am aware of the urgent need to give Italy a government with full powers," he said.

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Mr Gentiloni, if confirmed, will have to deal with a looming crisis in the troubled banking sector and ongoing relief efforts after a series of deadly earthquakes between August and October.

The next general election is due by February 2018. But Mr Gentiloni might survive only a few months as many political parties demand an early vote once a new electoral law is approved by Parliament.

Mr Renzi resigned hours after losing the 4 December referendum on constitutional changes. He had made the reform a centrepiece of his government and staked his premiership on its outcome.

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Mr Gentiloni had a career in journalism before moving into politics and becoming a close aide to a former Rome mayor, Francesco Rutelli, in the mid 1990s.

He was appointed communications minister in 2006 but his efforts to reform the Italian television market never made it into law.

He became Italy's top diplomat in 2014 - a surprise decision by Mr Renzi given Mr Gentiloni's lack of international experience. Diplomats say he has dealt competently with a number of difficult events, such as the migration crisis.

Mr Gentiloni becomes the fifth Italian prime minister since 2011.