Italian President Giorgio Napolitano was elected to a second term after accepting a last- minute appeal from party leaders to run again, a step that may resolve the nation’s political crisis two months after inconclusive elections.
The 87-year-old incumbent got 738 votes, easily surpassing the 504 needed in Parliament, winning the backing of parties led by former premier Silvio Berlusconi, caretaker Prime Minister Mario Monti and outgoing Democratic Party leader Pier Luigi Bersani. His re-election yesterday came in Parliament’s sixth attempt to elect a president this week.
Napolitano, who earlier this year rejected requests to seek another seven-year term, said after yesterday’s appeal from party leaders that he couldn’t “ignore responsibility toward the country.” His first task will be to try and break the political impasse after the Feb. 24-25 elections produced a hung parliament.
Read more: Italy President Napolitano Re-Elected in Bid to Resolve Crisis - Bloomberg
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