Napolitano is Italy's New Head of State
Elected at fourth ballot. Clears 505-vote threshold to win total of 543. Decisive poll after two days of negotiations between Union and House of Freedoms.
ROME - Giorgio Napolitano is the new head of state and the eleventh in the history of the Republic of Italy.He succeeds Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who was elected in 1999 and had come to the end of his seven-year mandate.The decisive vote came in the fourth ballot after two days of deal-brokering attempts by the majority Union and the opposition.A few minutes before 1 pm, a long bout of applause from the presidential electors signalled the crucial moment when the required number of the votes was reached.The fourth ballot was by absolute majority after the first three, when a two-thirds majority was needed. The threshold was set at 505 votes, which Mr Napolitano passed to finish with 543, a figure in line with forecasts for the Union, plus three extra votes.
THANKS - «Thanks to all of you»were the first words spoken by the new head of state at Palazzo Giustiniani, where the leader of the Lower House, Fausto Bertinotti, read the official announcement to him.Mr Bertinotti was accompanied by the leader of the Senate, Franco Marini.«I extend the respectful greeting of the whole of Parliament», said Mr Bertinotti, «with its good wishes for your labours on behalf of the country and its institutions».
APPRECIATION - Mr Napolitano's election was however a tempestuous one.Despite contrasting opinions, especially from the Christian Democrat UDC, the House of Freedoms decided in the end to cast blank votes again in the fourth ballot. There were exceptions. Marco Follini, the former UDC secretary, revealed in an interview with the Corriere della Sera that he would vote for Mr Napolitano and the Northern League voted for its own leader, Umberto Bossi.This meant that the hoped-for large majority did not materialise.But there were also many explicit declarations of appreciation from the Centre-right for Mr Napolitano, suggesting that the division of the two formations over his name was a matter more of form than substance.As the long applause in the debating chamber showed, it is widely believed in Parliament that his presidency is an institutional guarantee.A small crowd waited outside the entrance to the Lower House's Palazzo Montecitorio for the result of the ballot.At about 1.15 pm came the announcement by Mr Bertinotti: «Our most heartfelt good wishes to the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano».
WAITING FOR THE VOTE - Mr Napolitano's day began early.Since the moment it was officially revealed that the Union would vote for him, journalists have been in constant attendance, asking him about his expectations, the current situation and prospects.Mr Napolitano has made no attempt to evade their natural curiosity about a «migliorista» [reformist - Trans.] who often found himself in the minority in the Italian Communist Party (Pci) now becoming an institutional emblem for the Left. Again today,the day of the decisive vote, the press was in attendance from early morning, when he left his home in the centre of Rome.Journalists asked him if it was the most important day of his life.«If you are talking about my private life then no, there have been other days.But for politics, obviously...» was his reply.He was then asked about his hopes and whether «a good day can be seen from the dawn».«Let's hope so», he smiled.As a life senator, Mr Napolitano was one of the first to place his ballot paper in the box. He shook hands briefly with Giulio Andreotti and then headed for the exit on the lefthand side of the Montecitorio debating chamber, the one normally used by the Centre-left Union.Before leaving, he warmly embraced Olga Di Serio D'Antona, the widow of the legal scholar murdered by the Red Brigades.He then went to his studio in Palazzo Giustiniani, where he waited for the ballot and vote count to be completed.
TAKING THE OATH AND TAKING OFFICE-Giorgio Napolitano may only be sworn in next Monday.The date has been forecast by the Union, in view of the administrative election campaign that is still under way and the need to enable political leaders to return to their constituencies at the weekend.It is probable that Romano Prodi's government could take office in the first half of next week, presumably on Wednesday.
English translation by Giles Watson
www.watson.it
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