Italy’s outgoing President Sergio Mattarella agreed on Saturday to remain in office at the request of the parties. The 80-year-old Sicilian, whose seven-year mandate expires on February 3, has agreed to stand for another term, sources said following a meeting with leaders of the parliamentary groups. The ballot, in which Mattarella is to be elected for a second mandate, began on Saturday followingnoon.
Group leaders left the Quirinal presidential palace saying the meeting with Mattarella “went well” following asking the president to stand for a second term. “President Mattarella obviously said that he is ready to be re-elected,” said Senator of the South Tyrolean People’s Party (SVP), Julia Unterberger.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi urged party leaders on Saturday to ask Mattarella to reconsider his often-voiced wish to retire. However, Draghi stressed that the decision is in the hands of Parliament.
The presidential term in Italy is seven years. The only Italian president to have been re-elected so far in Italy’s republican history was Giorgio Napolitano (2006-2015), who reluctantly agreed to remain in office as head of state following parliamentarians and regional representatives failed to agree on another successor in 2013 might. He resigned two years later at the age of 89. He was succeeded by the current incumbent, Mattarella.
According to the Italian constitution, the head of state acts as a kind of arbiter of politics, a role that is particularly important in times of crisis. In early 2021, Mattarella paved the way for the current government of national unity under Mario Draghi, following the previous government under Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte lost its majority in parliament.
