View source for President of Italy

{{Short description|Head of state of Italy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = President
| body = the Italian Republic
| native_name = ''Presidente della Repubblica Italiana''
| insignia = Flag of the President of Italy.svg
| insigniasize = 120px
| insigniacaption = Presidential standard
| image = Sergio Mattarella Presidente della Repubblica Italiana.jpg
| incumbent = [[Sergio Mattarella]]
| incumbentsince = 3 February 2015
| style = [[President (government title)|Mr President]] (informal)<br />[[Excellency|His Excellency]] (diplomatic)
| department = 
| status = [[Head of state]]<br />[[Commander-in-chief]]
| appointer = [[Italian Parliament]]<br />and regional representatives
| member_of = [[High Council of Defence (Italy)|High Council of Defence]]<br />[[High Council of the Judiciary (Italy)|High Council of the Judiciary]]
| residence = [[Quirinal Palace]]
| termlength = Seven years, 
| termlength_qualified    = renewable
| constituting_instrument = [[Constitution of Italy]] (1948)
| deputy = [[List of presidents of the Senate of the Republic (Italy)|President of the Italian Senate]]
| inaugural = [[Enrico De Nicola]]
| formation = {{start date and age|df=y|1948|1|1}}
| salary = €230,000 annually<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/roman-austerity-parliamentary-salary-cuts-a-drop-in-the-bucket-a-812474.html|date=2 February 2012|title=Roman Austerity: Parliamentary Salary Cuts a Drop in the Bucket|publisher=Spiegel Online International|language=it|newspaper=Spiegel Online|last1=MacBeth|first1=Alex}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|quirinale.it}}
}}
{{Politics of Italy}}

The  '''president of Italy''', officially titled '''President of the Italian Republic''' ({{langx|it|Presidente della Repubblica Italiana}}), is the [[head of state]] of [[Italy]]. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that [[Politics of Italy|Italian politics]] comply with the [[Constitution of Italy|Constitution]]. The president is the [[commander-in-chief]] of the [[Italian Armed Forces]] and chairs the [[High Council of the Judiciary (Italy)|High Council of the Judiciary]]. The president serves a seven-year term, with no term limits.<ref name=ItaConst>{{cite web|title=The Italian Constitution|url=http://www.quirinale.it/page/costituzione|publisher=The official website of the Presidency of the Italian Republic.}}</ref> The incumbent president is former [[Constitutional Court of Italy|constitutional judge]] [[Sergio Mattarella]], who was [[2015 Italian presidential election|elected on 31 January 2015]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Italy elects senior judge Sergio Mattarella as president |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-president-vote/italy-elects-senior-judge-sergio-mattarella-as-president-idUSKBN0L40DA20150131 |access-date=14 November 2019 |work=Reuters |date=31 January 2015 |language=en}}</ref> and [[2022 Italian presidential election|re-elected on 29 January 2022]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Reguly|first=Eric|date=29 January 2022|title=Italy ends voting deadlock by re-electing Sergio Mattarella as president, keeping Mario Draghi as prime minister|work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-italy-ends-voting-deadlock-by-re-electing-sergio-mattarella-as/|access-date=30 January 2022}}</ref>

==Qualifications for office==
The framers of the [[Constitution of Italy]] intended for the president to be an elder statesman of some stature. Article 84<ref name="ItaConst"/> states that any Italian citizen who is fifty or older on election day and enjoys civil and political rights can be elected president. The article also states that the presidency is incompatible with any other office; therefore, the [[president-elect]] must resign any other position before being sworn in.

The 1948 Constitution sets the presidential term at seven years. It does not put any [[term limit]] on the presidency,<ref name="ItaConst"/> although until 2013 no president ever ran for a second term. On 20 April 2013, President [[Giorgio Napolitano]] agreed to run for a second term in an attempt to break the parliamentary deadlock in the [[2013 Italian presidential election|2013 presidential elections]] and was duly reelected the same day.<ref>{{cite news|title=President Giorgio Napolitano re-elected|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-22232305|publisher=BBC News|date=2013-04-20}}</ref> However, he made it clear that he would not serve his full term and resigned in January 2015.

==Election==
{{Main|Italian presidential elections}}
The president of the Italian Republic is elected by an [[electoral college]], consisting of the members of both chambers of the Italian Parliament, and 58 special electors appointed by the regions.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Electoral body
!Type of members
!Number of members
!Comments
|-
|[[Chamber of Deputies (Italy)|Chamber of Deputies]]
|elected Deputies
|400
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[Senate of the Republic (Italy)|Senate of the Republic]]
|elected Senators
|200
|
|-
|appointed [[Senators for life in Italy|Senators for life]]
|up to 5
|the President appoints up to five Senators; before 2020 the number could vary somewhat
|-
|former Presidents of the Republic
|unlimited
|all former Presidents serve ex officio, unless  they resign
|-
|[[Regions of Italy|Regions]]
|Special Electors
|58
|each [[Regional council (Italy)|regional council]] appoints three electors, except for [[Aosta Valley]], which due to its small size only appoints one
|-
| colspan="2" |Total
|658–663 + former presidents
|
|}
Prior to the [[2020 Italian constitutional referendum]], which reduced the number of elected parliament members, the electoral college was much larger, with 1,009 members participating in the [[2022 Italian presidential election|2022 election]].

According to the Constitution, the election must be held by a [[secret ballot]], with the senators, deputies and regional representatives all being [[Compulsory voting|required to vote]]. A [[Supermajority|two-thirds vote]] is required to elect on any of the first three rounds of balloting; after that, a simple [[majority]] suffices. The number of rounds has often been large thanks to the secret ballot and fragmented nature of the Italian Parliament.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The politics of Italy: governance in a normal country|last=James.|first=Newell|date=2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521840705|location=Cambridge, UK|oclc=437084143}}</ref> The election is presided over by the [[President of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy)|president of the Chamber of Deputies]], who calls for the public counting of the votes. The vote is held in the [[Palazzo Montecitorio]], seat of the Chamber of Deputies, which is expanded and re-configured for the event.

There is no formal personal candidacy but only proposals from groups within the electoral college or from groups of citizens, so any citizen may be voted or elected, regardless of any expressed intention to be a candidate.

Members of the electoral college, mostly being part of political parties, can make public or undisclosed agreements between each other on a name to vote as a candidate, but the votes during the ballot remain secret as only the candidate's name is revealed but not the voter who wrote it so it's not always clear, especially to the public, if such agreements are there and if a party or a group of voters actually comply with them during a ballot.

For these reasons, during the ballots, there could be votes for public figures not related to politics (actors, singers, soccer players for example or even fictitious characters) or non-feasible candidates. Those kinds of votes are not fully beyond a political strategy, considering they're secret and that the first ballots require a larger winning majority. They may be used to express discontent about the potential actual candidates, to test or show if a candidate is willing to become president at that moment, to spoil secondary candidates in order to increase interest in main candidates for future ballots, to spoil a potential candidate of the adversary party at the first ballots or to let other parties express their more interesting candidates before a potential winning ballot.

Often a successful vote is reached when the major political parties within the chambers reached an agreement on a willing candidate before that final ballot and their members comply with such agreement during the vote.

==Presidential mandate==
[[File:Camera dei deputati Aula Palazzo Montecitorio Roma.jpg|thumb|left|Second inauguration of Sergio Mattarella in front of the Italian Parliament on 3 February 2022.]]
The president of the Italian Republic assumes office after [[Oath of office|taking an oath]] before the Italian Parliament and delivering a presidential address.

The presidential term lasts seven years. This prevents any officeholder from being reelected by the same houses, which have a five-year mandate, also granting some freedom from excessive political ties to the appointing body. The president's term may end prematurely by voluntary resignation, death in office, permanent disability due to serious illness, or impeachment and conviction for the crimes of high treason or attack on the Constitution.
[[File:Standard of Presidents Emeritus of Italy.svg|thumb|Standard of former presidents of Italy.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=DPR 17 May 2001. 'Insegna distintiva degli ex Presidenti della Repubblica.' - Published on the Gazzetta Ufficiale n° 117, 22 May 2001. |url=https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/gu/2001/05/22/117/sg/pdf |access-date=19 November 2024 |website=Gazzetta Ufficiale |pages=13–14}}</ref>]]

A former president of the Republic is called president ''emeritus'' of the Republic and becomes [[Senators for life in Italy|Senator for life]] ''ex officio''. In the absence of the president of the Republic, including travel abroad, presidential functions are performed by the [[President of the Senate (Italy)|president of the Senate]].<ref name="ItaConst" />
{{clear left}}

== Legal powers ==
The Constitution lays out the duties and powers of the president of the republic, including the following:
# In foreign affairs:
#* Accrediting and receiving diplomatic functionaries.
#* Ratifying international treaties upon authorization of Parliament (if required according to Article 80 of the Constitution).
#* Making [[official visit]]s abroad, accompanied by a member of the government.
#* Declaring a [[war|state of war]] as decided by Parliament.
# In parliamentary affairs:
#* Appointing [[Senators for life in Italy|senators for life]] (that may be up to five altogether).
#* Calling the Chambers of Parliament into extraordinary session and dissolving them.
#* Calling elections and fixing the date for the first meeting of the new Chambers.
# In legislative matters:
#* Authorizing the presentation of proposed governmental bills to Parliament.
#* Promulgating the laws approved by the Parliament.
#* Sending a bill back to the parliament (with an explanation) and asking for its reconsideration (only permitted once per bill).
# Regarding popular sovereignty.
#* Calling [[referendum]]s.
# In executive matters and as to official protocol.
#* Appointing the [[Prime Minister of Italy|prime minister of Italy]] and Cabinet ministers on the advice of the prime minister.
#* Receiving the oath of the government.
#* Accepting the resignation of a government.
#* Promulgating government decrees. Without further approval by Parliament, these measures [[sunset provision|expire]] after 60 days.
#* Appointing certain high state functionaries.
#* Presiding over the ''Consiglio Supremo di Difesa'' (Supreme Defense Council) and commanding all the armed forces.
#* Decreeing the dissolution of regional councils and the removal of presidents of regions.
# In judicial matters:
#* Presiding over the ''Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura'' (Superior Judicial Council).
#*Appointing 5 members (one-third) of the [[Constitutional Court of Italy]].
#* Granting [[pardon]]s and commutations.
#* Cannot be punished for acts appertaining to his office unless guilty of [[high treason]] or violation of the Constitution. (article 90 of the Italian constitution)
#* It is a crime to undermine his honour or prestige. (article 278 of the Italian penal code)
# Others:
#* Granting honors.

In practice, the president's office has little real independent authority. The Constitution provides that nearly all presidential acts must be countersigned by the prime minister or an individual minister since actual political responsibility rests with the government. Most presidential powers are only formal and must be exercised through the government, while many of the others are duties that the president is required to perform. However, pardons and commutations have been recognized as autonomous powers of the president.

However, the president's role is not entirely ceremonial. For example, the president’s ability to send a piece of legislation back to Parliament is not taken lightly by legislators. While the president is required to promulgate the law if it is passed a second time, in practice legislators are unlikely to ignore his objections to legislation unless the measure is critical.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Politics in Europe.|last=Donald|first=Hancock, M.|isbn=9781452241463|edition=Sixth|location=Thousand Oaks, California|oclc=863193454|date = 2014-02-27}}</ref> Moreover, the president's few powers expand when there is no clear majority in Parliament. During these times, the president has significant latitude in appointing prime ministers, such as when [[Oscar Luigi Scalfaro|President Scalfaro]] appointed [[Lamberto Dini]] as prime minister against the wishes of outgoing Prime Minister [[Silvio Berlusconi]],<ref name=":0" /> or when President Napolitano appointed [[Mario Monti]] in 2011 and [[Enrico Letta]] in 2013.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/europe/italy-prime-minister.html|title=Italian President Nominates New Prime Minister|last=Donadio|first=Rachel|date=2013-04-24|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-03-20|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

This latitude extends even further to cabinet appointments, as in 2018 when [[Sergio Mattarella|President Mattarella]] blocked the appointment of [[Paolo Savona]] to the [[Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italy)|Ministry of Economy and Finance]]. Mattarella felt that Savona's [[Euroscepticism]] would endanger Italy's relationship with the EU; he took the line that as the guardian of the Constitution, he could not allow this to happen.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/05/28/614910568/in-italy-populists-bid-to-form-government-fails-after-president-veto|title=In Italy, Populists' Bid To Form Government Fails After Presidential Veto|website=NPR.org|date=28 May 2018|language=en|access-date=2019-03-20|last1=Poggioli|first1=Sylvia}}</ref>

==Succession==
[[File:Substitute President standard of Italy.svg|thumb|upright|Standard of the Substitute President of the Republic]]
{{Presidential orders of succession}}
According to Article 86<ref name="ItaConst"/> of the Constitution, in all the cases in which the president is unable to perform the functions of the office, these shall be performed by the president of the Senate, who would temporarily serve as [[List of presidents of Italy#Substitute of the head of state|acting president of Italy]].

In the event of permanent incapacity, death in office or resignation of the president, the president of the Chamber of Deputies shall call an election of a new president within fifteen days, notwithstanding the longer term envisaged during the dissolution of the [[Italian Parliament|Parliament]] or in the three months preceding dissolution.

==Residence==
[[File:Quirinale palazzo e obelisco con dioscuri Roma.jpg|thumb|Quirinal Palace, the principal residence of the president]]
The officeholder resides in [[Rome]] at the [[Quirinal Palace]] and also has at his disposal the presidential holdings of [[Castelporziano]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://palazzo.quirinale.it/residenze/c_porziano_en.html|title=The residences: The Castelporziano Presidential Estate|last=web|first=Segretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica-Servizio sistemi informatici- reparto|website=Quirinale|language=en|access-date=2019-03-20}}</ref> near Rome and [[Villa Rosebery]] in [[Naples]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://palazzo.quirinale.it/residenze/v_rosebery_en.html|title=Villa Rosebery – The Park|last=web|first=Segretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica-Servizio sistemi informatici- reparto|website=Quirinale|language=en|access-date=2019-03-20}}</ref> The residence at the Quirinal is guarded by the [[Corazzieri]], an elite [[cuirassier]] [[Guard of honour|honor guard]] that is part of the [[Carabinieri]] and has its historical roots in the guards of the [[House of Savoy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://palazzo.quirinale.it/corazzieri/corazzieri_en.html|title=the Italian Corps of Cuirassiers|last=web|first=Segretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica-Servizio sistemi informatici- reparto|website=Quirinale|language=en|access-date=2019-03-20}}</ref>

==Timeline==
{{#tag:timeline|
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 from: 01/01/1948 till: 12/05/1948 color:pli text:"[[Enrico De Nicola|De Nicola]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Einaudi
 from: 12/05/1948 till: 11/05/1955 color:pli text:"[[Luigi Einaudi|Einaudi]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Gronchi
 from: 11/05/1955 till: 11/05/1962 color:dc text:"[[Giovanni Gronchi|Gronchi]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Segni
 from: 11/05/1962 till: 06/12/1964 color:dc text:"[[Antonio Segni|Segni]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Saragat
 from: 29/12/1964 till: 29/12/1971 color:psdi text:"[[Giuseppe Saragat|Saragat]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Leone
 from: 29/12/1971 till: 15/06/1978 color:dc text:"[[Giovanni Leone|Leone]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Pertini
 from: 09/07/1978 till: 29/06/1985 color:psi text:"[[Sandro Pertini|Pertini]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Cossiga
 from: 03/07/1985 till: 28/04/1992 color:dc text:"[[Francesco Cossiga|Cossiga]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Scalfaro
 from: 28/05/1992 till: 15/05/1999 color:dc text:"[[Oscar Luigi Scalfaro|Scalfaro]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Ciampi
 from: 18/05/1999 till: 15/05/2006 color:ind text:"[[Carlo Azeglio Ciampi|Ciampi]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Napolitano
 from: 15/05/2006 till: 14/01/2015 color:ds text:"[[Giorgio Napolitano|Napolitano]]" fontsize:10
 bar:Mattarella
 from: 03/02/2015 till: end color:ind text:"[[Sergio Mattarella|Mattarella]]" fontsize:10
}}

== See also ==
* [[List of presidents of Italy]]
* [[Italian presidential elections]]
* [[List of wives of the president of the Italian Republic|Spouses and companions of the presidents of Italy]]
* ''[[Semestre bianco]]''
* [[Presidential standard of Italy]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{official website|https://www.quirinale.it/}} {{in lang|it}}

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[[Category:Presidents of Italy| ]]
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