Luigi Di Maio begins leadership contest
The political drama never stops in Europe.
After the upcoming German elections, the calendar quiets for a few months but it will heat up again in May 2018 with Italian national elections.
One man with a good chance of winning is 31-year-old lower house deputy Luigi Di Maio. He's a big favorite to win the leadership of the 5-Star Movement later this month.
The contest truly begins next week and, according to Reuters, he has no legitimate rivals in the contest. He's a moderate within the party and that will help their chances in the national election.
Europe has suddenly shown a preference for young leaders. Renzi became the President of the Province of Florence at 29 and Prime Minister at 39, which is the same age as France's Emmanuel Macron.
Elsewhere, Canada's Trudeau is 45 and the opposition leader is 38.
If Di Maio wins, he will be the youngest world leader, trailed by 34-year-old Kim Jong-Un. The youngest-ever US President was Teddy Roosevelt at 42 but he inherited the job when McKinley was assassinated. JFK was 43 when he was elected.
Potential rivals to Di Maio within his party are Alessandro Di Battista (age 39) and Robert Fico (42) but they must announce their candidacy by Monday. The winner will be announced on Sept 23 and will be an early favourite in next years national elections.
Of course, 80-year-old Silvio Berlusconi could always make a comeback.
