Mario Draghi had also expressed interest in the presidency before the elections. But now he is appealing to the incumbent President to accept another term.
(Photo: Reuters)
Rome According to a minister, Italian President Sergio Mattarella has agreed to a second term. The 80-year-old has thus complied with the request of the overwhelming majority of the political parties, said the Minister for Regional Affairs, Mariastella Gelmini, on Saturday.
Even after the seventh ballot, Italy still has no new head of state. The parliamentarians and regional representatives gave the most for the incumbent head of state Sergio Mattarella with 387 votes on Saturday, as the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Robert Fico, announced after the passage. No candidate achieved the necessary majority of 505 of the 1009 possible votes. 380 electors abstained.
The centre-right and centre-left parties remained divided ahead of the seventh round of voting as to which candidate a majority would support. Because of the muddled situation, representatives of some parties said at noon that they want to elect Mattarella for a second term. According to the Ansa news agency, Prime Minister Mario Draghi spoke to Mattarella and asked him for another term. The head of the Lega coalition party, Matteo Salvini, also demanded that Mattarella remain in office, as did Draghi.
Health Minister Roberto Speranza, who leads the LEU party, made a similar statement to Salvini. The governing parties had agreed to ask Mattarella to remain in office. This is very gratifying, said Speranza after a meeting of the coalition leaders.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Forza Italia boss Silvio Berlusconi also contacted the Sicilian and promised him support, as the party announced. Before the election, however, it was said that the 80-year-old Mattarella actually does not want another term in office. “Keeping Mattarella in the Quirinal Palace and Draghi in Palazzo Chigi is the only way to protect Italy from madness and lack of political leadership,” ex-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wrote on Twitter.
In the electoral body, which consists of 1,009 parliamentarians and regional representatives, no candidate had so far found the required absolute majority. Draghi has not yet been voted on. The fear of provoking a government crisis and early elections also plays a role. On the other hand, the Assembly has already voted on Mattarella several times, despite his declared rejection of another term. The number of votes for the incumbent gradually increased to 387 from the initial 125.
More: Italy’s President: Key role in government crises