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Italy crisis: President Giorgio Napolitano re-elected | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano has been re-elected following a cross-party appeal to run for office again to resolve a growing political crisis. | |
Mr Napolitano, aged 87, secured the required 504 votes in parliament. | |
Politicians had turned to the widely-respected president after five rounds of voting failed to produce a successor. | |
A caretaker government has been governing Italy following February's inconclusive general elections. | A caretaker government has been governing Italy following February's inconclusive general elections. |
The political deadlock has compounded concern about the stability of Italy whose economy, the third-biggest in the eurozone, is mired in recession. | The political deadlock has compounded concern about the stability of Italy whose economy, the third-biggest in the eurozone, is mired in recession. |
'Coup d'etat' | |
On Saturday, Mr Napolitano became the first president in Italian history to secure a second seven-year term. | |
He easily won the simple majority of votes out of 1,007 electors. | |
Mr Napolitano put forward his candidacy after the appeal by main party leaders - both on the left and right. | |
"I consider it necessary to offer my availability," said Mr Napolitano, who had been due to step down on 15 May. | |
"I cannot shun my responsibility towards the nation," he added. | |
Italian party leaders earlier expressed concern over a "grave situation", urging parliament to "show unity" in re-electing widely-respected Mr Napolitano. | |
Outside the parliament building in Rome, protesters held a rally against the push for Mr Napolitano's re-election. | |
Many demonstrators were supporters of Beppe Grillo, the leader of the 5-Star Movement. | |
Mr Grillo denounced Mr Napolitano's re-appointment as a "coup d'etat". | |
Parliament began trying to elect a new president on Thursday, but MPs voted five times without producing a clear winner. In increasing desperation they turned to the man who was supposed to retire, the BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome reports. | |
On Friday, the leader of Italy's centre-left alliance, Pier Luigi Bersani, promised to step down as soon as a new president was elected. | On Friday, the leader of Italy's centre-left alliance, Pier Luigi Bersani, promised to step down as soon as a new president was elected. |
Mr Bersani announced the news to his Democratic Party (PD) after many centre-left MPs refused to back his preferred candidate for president. | Mr Bersani announced the news to his Democratic Party (PD) after many centre-left MPs refused to back his preferred candidate for president. |
The centre-left failed to gain an overall majority at February's general election despite coming first. | The centre-left failed to gain an overall majority at February's general election despite coming first. |