Rome: Italy’s veteran President Giorgio Napolitano resigned yesterday, setting the stage for the election of a new head of state, a thorny process which could prove a political headache for Matteo Renzi’s government.
The 89-year old had announced in December that he would be leaving office well before the end of his term in 2020 because of his advancing age. He had been persuaded in 2013 to stay on for an unprecedented second term after deadlocked elections sparked a political crisis in the eurozone’s third-largest economy.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi paid tribute to the outgoing president, expressing “gratitude and emotion for what Giorgio Napolitano has done over the past nine years, showing quality and political intelligence”.
Parliament will meet on January 29 along with 58 regional deputies for the first round of voting to choose the next president.
Potential candidates include former prime ministers Romano Prodi and Giuliano Amato, as well as Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti and former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni. AFP
