Italian Political Crisis Who Will Be Next Italian President

Table of Contents

The News

Italy is a parliamentary republic with a multi-party system. Italy has been a democratic republic since 1946, when the monarchy was abolished.
Executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers, which is led by the Prime Minister (Presidente del Consiglio). Legislative power is vested primarily in the two houses of Parliament and secondarily in the Council of Ministers, which can introduce bills and holds the majority in both houses.
The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislative branches. It is headed by the High Council of the Judiciary, a body presided over by the President of Italy, who is the head of state.
The current president is Sergio Mattarella, and the current prime minister is Mario Draghi.

The Italian president has become increasingly important in Italy in recent decades, as the politics have become more fragmented and chaotic due to coalition politics.
The president, beyond exercising moral authority, is charged with protecting the Italian Constitution and is imbued with enormous powers during a political crisis.
The president has the authority to select the prime minister, as Mattarella did in choosing Draghi a year ago to help the country out of a political crisis.
The president has the authority to approve or deny the appointment of other government ministers, too. The president can also deny mandates to weak coalitions and dissolve Parliament.

The process to pick the president is as byzantine as the politics. It is full of pomp and ritual…!!
Not just the ballots are secret but even the nominees are…!!!
Voters deposit a piece of paper with voting preference into a large urn line with green satin and covered in wrought, dark wicker and gilded details. It is nicknamed the “salad bowl.”

In accordance with the Constitution of Italy, the election is held in the form of a secret ballot, with 321 Senators, 630 Deputies, and 58 regional representatives entitled to vote.
The election is held in the Palazzo Montecitorio, home of the Chamber of Deputies, with the capacity of the assembly room expanded for the purpose.
There is no official candidacy process, and representatives are free to vote for any person who meets the requirements.
- The eligibility requirements, contained in the first paragraph of Art. 84 of the Constitution, are:
  - Candidate should have Italian citizenship
  - Candidate should have reached the age of 50
  - Candidate should enjoy civil and political rights

What is the majority required?
- The first three ballots require a two-thirds majority of the 1,009 voters to elect a President, or 673 votes.
- Starting from the fourth ballot, an absolute majority is required for candidates to be elected, or 505 votes.
- The presidential mandate lasts seven years.

Covid Protocols
- Because of COVID restrictions, only one vote will be held a day.
- A Green Pass, Italy’s health pass for the vaccinated and the recently swabbed, is required to vote.
- Infected electors will be allowed to vote in a parking lot next to Parliament.

Go to Italian Parliament Website for latest results:
- In the latest, third ballot (26 Jan 2022) the incumbent president Sergio Mattarella has received the highest number of votes in the inconclusive third ballot, with 125 (or 12.4% of the 1009 eligible electors).
- Guido Crosetto came in second with 114 votes (or 11.3%), while Paolo Maddalena, a former Constitutional Court judge, received 61 votes (or 6.0%).
- The fourth ballot is scheduled for 27 January 2022, will be the first ballot in which only an absolute majority is required to win.
  - Who ever gets 505 votes will become president..!!

Mario Draghi interested to become president
- What if he doesn’t become president?
- If Mario doesn’t become president, will the government collapse?
If Mario becomes President, who will be new Prime Minister?