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1st LD Writethru: Merkel expresses disappointment over Renzi's defeat in Italian referendum

Xinhua, December 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday expressed disappointment over the defeat of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in a referendum on constitutional reform in Italy.

"I am sad that the referendum in Italy did not go the way the prime minister wanted it," Merkel said in German city of Essen before the start of the national party convention of Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The vote was respected as an inner-Italian matter, said the chancellor, also the CDU chairman, adding that she always worked very well with Renzi.

According to estimates, almost 60 percent of Italian voters on Sunday rejected the constitutional reform suggested by Renzi.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier earlier expressed concern over the referendum result.

"This is certainly not a positive contribution in one of the most difficult European times," Steinmeier said on Monday during a visit to Athens, adding that Renzi had done "the right and necessary things with the reform, but he has not been rewarded for it by the voters."

The rejection of the constitutional reform was "not a state crisis, but a government crisis that needs to be settled as soon as possible," he said.

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert earlier on Monday said Merkel had received the news of Renzi's resignation announcement "with regret."

Renzi's proposed constitutional referendum was seen as a key test of popularity for his center-left government. Enditem