ROME: Italy’s parliament on Friday failed at a fifth consecutive ballot to elect a new head of state, with an attempt by the centre-right to force through its own candidate falling well short.
The alliance made up of Forza Italia, the League and the Brothers of Italy told its lawmakers to vote for conservative Senate speaker Elisabetta Casellati, instead of seeking a compromise candidate who could draw broad support.
The move, which infuriated the centre-left, ended badly, with Casellati winning just 382 ballots among the 1,009 parliamentarians and regional delegates eligible to vote, far below the 505 required to elect a head of state.
Parliament has been voting without success since Monday to chose a successor to outgoing President Sergio Mattarella.
Another round of voting will begin at 1600 GMT and parliament will continue to hold two votes per day until someone is finally elected.
Much is at stake. The Italian presidency comes with a seven-year mandate and has considerable power to resolve political crises that regularly batter the country, including appointing prime ministers and dissolving parliament.
The repeated failure to find any sort of consensus has poisoned the political atmosphere, with potentially dangerous consequences for the stability of the broad coalition backing Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government.
Draghi, himself a contender for the head of state role, has indicated he may be unwilling to carry on as premier if his ruling coalition splits over the presidential election. The centre-left Democratic Party has also said it will pull out of the government if it is not included in the choice of president.
The centre-right, which on paper has around 450 votes, hoped Casellati would get the backing of unaffiliated parliamentarians and defectors from the centre-left to push her over the line.
This did not materialise, partly thanks to a decision by the 5-Star Movement to instruct its lawmakers not to take part in the secret vote — a move aimed at keeping its electors in line.
Draghi’s prospects for the position of president have faded this week, with many lawmakers clearly reluctant to back him, partly because they fear any change to the government could trigger a national election one year ahead of schedule.
Enrico Letta, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party, said on Friday the right could no longer be trusted. “They have taken us for a ride for the last three days,” he told reporters.
It was unclear if the centre-right would push Casellati’s name again in the second vote of the day or offer an alternative candidate.
The stalemate may eventually open the way to a second mandate for Mattarella, even though the outgoing president, who is 80, has ruled this out. Two government members told Reuters on Thursday that his re-election was a strong possibility.
Aside from Draghi and Mattarella, numerous other candidates have been cited for the job, often only to be shot down by one side or the other in a matter of hours.
These include Elisabetta Belloni, a career diplomat who heads the secret services, and Sabino Cassese, an 86-year-old former constitutional court judge.
Other possible contenders floated in the media include former lower house speaker Pier Ferdinando Casini, former premier Giuliano Amato and Justice Minister Marta Cartabia, who previously chaired the constitutional court. – Reuters
