Gentiloni asked to form new govt

The soft-spoken son of an aristocratic family, Paolo Gentiloni is set to become Italy's fifth prime minister in as many years, promoted thanks to his unwavering loyalty to outgoing premier Matteo Renzi.

Two years into the foreign minister's job, Gentiloni was asked by President Sergio Mattarella on Sunday to form a new government tasked with tackling much-need electoral reform and a seemingly unending crisis in the banking sector.

He will need to win confidence votes in parliament, expected this week, to take office and even after overcoming that hurdle, he might only survive a few months, with many political chiefs demanding elections as soon as a new electoral law is approved.