Italian minister says believes Renzi will resign if defeated on Dec. 4

Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi gestures as he attends television talk show "Porta a Porta" (Door to Door) in Rome, Italy, November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will almost certainly resign if he loses a Dec. 4 referendum on constitutional reform, Transport Minister Graziano Delrio said on Friday. "I believe that ... (if defeated) Renzi will go to the head of state and hand in his resignation," Delrio, who is close to Renzi, told state television. Political officials have said that President Sergio Mattarella might try to convince Renzi to stay in office to guarantee political stability in Italy. If Renzi refuses, the president is likely to seek another person to take charge of a new government to oversee electoral reform. (Reporting by Francesca Piscioneri, Editing by Crispian Balmer)