Stalemate ends as Mattarella re-elected Italy’s president

By Alvise Armellini

ROME (AA) - Italy’s parliament on Saturday voted for President Sergio Mattarella to serve a second term, putting an end to a six-day stalemate that threatened the survival of the country’s government.

According to a provisional vote count, Mattarella has cleared the 505-majority needed to be confirmed as head of state. Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament applauded as the milestone was passed.

The 80-year-old, whose term was due to end on Feb. 3, had repeatedly said he did not want a second go at the seven-year presidency, but parties within Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s grand coalition turned to Mattarella after multiple failed attempts to find a successor.

Mattarella, a former Christian democrat minister and constitutional court judge who went into politics after his brother was slain by the Sicilian mafia in 1980, is the second president in a row, after Giorgio Napolitano, to serve a second term.

In Italy, presidents are the cornerstone of the political system, serving a seven-year tenure. Presidents name prime ministers, call elections, influence government policy discreetly and can veto laws or ministerial appointments.