Second attempt to elect new Italian president fails

The Italian parliament today failed to elect the country’s new president in a second round of voting, unofficial tallies indicated, further delaying centre-left leader Romano Prodi’s bid to get a mandate to form a government.

Prodi’s Unione coalition has been pushing for Communist Giorgio Napolitano, a widely respected senator-for-life, to assume the presidency.

But members of the conservative coalition of outgoing Premier Silvio Berlusconi said earlier in the day that they were not ready to yield.