Fourth round of voting for Italian president
Politicians today tried for a fourth time to elect Italy’s next president, with the numbers heading into the vote appearing to favour Giorgio Napolitano.
Napolitano is the choice of Romano Prodi who could finally give the center-left leader a mandate to form a government.
The required majority for victory dropped dramatically starting with today’s fourth round of balloting, going from two-thirds that was required in the first three rounds to 50 per cent plus one.
In the first three rounds, Prodi’s allies failed to persuade Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s conservative bloc to back the nomination of Napolitano, a former Communist and widely respected senator-for-life.
But with today’s victory margin lowered, it appeared Prodi had enough votes to install Napolitano as head of state even without the opposition’s help.
Napolitano himself appeared resigned to victory today, telling reporters as he headed to Parliament that as president he would be above the political fray.
