Italy's parliament to vote for new president

Italy’s political factions appeared headed for a showdown as Parliament today prepared to elect the country’s new president, with none of the candidates winning a bipartisan consensus.

A qualified majority is needed to elect a president in the first three rounds of voting, and no winner was expected to emerge from the first session this afternoon.

Centre-left leader Romano Prodi has proposed a last-minute candidate, senator for life Giorgio Napolitano, in hopes of winning consensus from the conservative forces of outgoing Premier Silvio Berlusconi.

Berlusconi had rejected the initial candidate of the centre-left, Massimo D’Alema, a former premier and president of the largest party in the centre-left bloc.

The conservative leader has not publicly commented on the candidacy of Napolitano, a former Communist. But he had previously said that “the proposal of a politician from a party of the left is simply indecent”.

However, some in Berlusconi’s coalition were more cautious on the possibility of electing Napolitano, an 80-year-old former Parliament speaker and interior minister who is generally well-respected.

The battle was yet another indication of the difficulty Prodi is having in pushing ahead with his agenda, after his centre-left bloc narrowly won April 9-10 elections.

Prodi must wait for the new president to give him the mandate to form the government. A lengthy process would delay the formation of his Cabinet.

The president, whose term lasts seven years, is elected by politicians of both houses of Parliament and representatives of Italy’s 20 regions – a total of more than 1,000 officials.

Italy’s top office holder, the president is a largely ceremonial but highly respected figure. At times of government crises or political changeovers, presidents wield some influence, as they have the power to dissolve Parliament and call new elections.

Current President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi said last week he would not seek another term, despite an appeal to stay on from both sides.