Marino could risk dividing his Partito Democratico party.

The outgoing mayor of Rome Ignazio Marino said on 27 October that his council is "at work and looks to the future", fuelling speculation that he could withdraw his resignation, a move which would prove extremely problematic for his Partito Democratico (PD) party.

Marino, who stepped down earlier this month over an expenses scandal, has until 2 November to confirm or withdraw his resignation. During a rally in his favour at city hall on 25 October, the second of its kind since he tendered his resignation officially on 12 October, Marino told his supporters that he would "think about" staging a comeback.

This could trigger major upheaval for his party, with political sources suggesting that the PD might ask its 19 Rome city council members to resign en masse if Marino attempts to remain at the helm.

Another option would be for the PD councillors to join their counterparts in the opposition in passing a vote of no confidence in Marino. For this the council would require a majority of votes plus one, meaning 25 votes in total. The situation is complicated by the fact that not all of the 19 PD councillors, or the left-wing Sinistra Ecologia Libertà (SEL) party, seem willing to support the no-confidence motion in Marino.

Either scenario would be damaging for the PD and would be a source of embarrassment for its leader, the Italian premier Matteo Renzi who is currently on a tour of Latin America.

Photo LaPresse