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Italy’s parties Saturday voted overwhelmingly for outgoing President Sergio Mattarella to remain for another term, averting the political chaos that a failure to elect his successor could have sparked in the eurozone’s third-largest economy.
Electing the 80-year-old ended weeks of hand-wringing over whether prized Prime Minister Mario Draghi should be elevated, with many fearing such a move would have left the government rudderless at a highly sensitive time.
Mattarella needed at least 505 votes from an electoral college of 1,009 lawmakers and regional representatives. He won 759, earning another stint as president in spite of himself.
The former constitutional court judge had repeatedly ruled out serving a second term but gave in Saturday after Italy’s bickering political parties failed to find another viable candidate.
“I had other plans, but if it’s necessary, I’m available,” Mattarella said before the vote, according to party parliamentary representatives.
He was expected to be sworn in on Wednesday or Thursday. Although many expect him to leave before the end of his new seven-year term, he is likely to stay at least past elections scheduled for 2023.
Italy’s presidency is largely ceremonial, but the head of state wields serious power during political crises, from dissolving parliament to picking new prime ministers and denying mandates to fragile coalitions.
Draghi said the result, after eight rounds of voting over six days, was “wonderful news for Italians”.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted his congratulations to “dear Sergio”, while German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier hailed a “role model” who “understands the importance of Europe”.
Pope Francis hailed Mattarella’s “generous” agreement to stay on during a period of uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which hit Italy hard.