Matteo Renzi (born Florence, 11 January 1975) is an Italian politician. He was elected as Mayor of Florence on June 22, 2009 with 59.96% of the vote. In February 2011 he publicly called on all the Italian politicians of the Berlusconi era to retire, citing the fact that Berlusconi is only six years younger than Renzi's grandmother.

Renzi was born in Florence in 1975. He studied in Florence, and then he graduated in law in Florence University. He joined the Italian People's Party in 1996, and became Provincial Secretary in 1999. He was President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009, winning 58.8% of the ballots in the elections of 12 June 2004, representing a centre-left coalition.

On 9 June 2009 in the elections for the Mayor of Florence, Renzi (as a member of the Democratic Party) obtained 47.57% of the ballots, against 32% for Giovanni Galli, the candidate of the centre-right coalition headed by The People of Freedom party.

In 2010, while his popularity was increasing, he organised a meeting in Florence in Leopolda Station to discuss about Italian politic, after stating that a complete change was necessary also in his party. That is the reason why media gave him the name "scrapper".