This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

On May 2, 2006, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy Fausto Bertinotti, in agreement with Senate Speaker Franco Marini, convened the two houses of the Italian Parliament, integrated with a number of Grand Electors appointed by the 20 Italian regions, in a common session on May 8 in order to commence voting for the election of the new President of the Italian Republic. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... To suggest a relevant news story for the Main Page, refer to the criteria then add your suggestion at the candidates page. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Italian Chamber of Deputies (Italian: Camera dei Deputati) is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. ... Fausto Bertinotti Fausto Bertinotti (born on 22 March 1940) is an Italian politician and leader of the Partito della Rifondazione Comunista. ... The Italian Senate (Italian: Senato della Repubblica, Senate of the Republic) is the upper house of the Parliament of Italy. ... Franco Marini (born 9 April 1933) is an Italian politician, prominent member of the centre-left Daisy party, and newly-elected Speaker of the Senate of Italy. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... Flag of the President of the Italian Republic This is the list of Presidents of the Italian Republic with the title Presidente della Repubblica since 1948. ...

According to the Italian Constitution, the election must be held in the form of secret ballot, with the Senators, the Deputies and 58 regional representatives allowed to cast their votes. When the 2006 election was held, the Senate counted 322 members and the Chamber of Deputies counted 629 members; the electors were in total 1009. The election is held in the Palazzo Montecitorio, home of the Chamber of Deputies, with the capacity of the building being deliberately widened for the purpose. The first three ballots require a two third majority of the voters in order to elect a president, in this election equivalent to 673 votes. Starting from the fourth ballot, an absolute majority is required for candidates to be elected (in this election, 505 votes). The election is headed by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, who has the authority to proceed to the public counting of the votes. The presidential mandate lasts seven years.

Outgoing President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, 85, was asked to run for another mandate by the centre-right House of Freedoms, with the strong support of the centre-left Union. However, Ciampi declined to run again, noting that "none of the past nine presidents of the Republic have been re-elected. I think this has become a meaningful rule. It is better not to infringe it." Ciampi was elected in 1999 at the first ballot, becoming only the second president ever to win on the first ballot, after Francesco Cossiga. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (born in Livorno, 9 December 1920) was elected as the tenth President of the Italian Republic on May 13, 1999. ... Casa delle Libertà, or House of Freedoms in English, is an Italian right of center party alliance led by national media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi. ... LUnione (The Union in English) is an Italian left-wing coalition of parties. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Francesco Cossiga (born July 26, 1928) is an Italian politician and former President of the Italian Republic. ...

On May 10, Giorgio Napolitano, the candidate endorsed by the Union, was elected at the fourth ballot with 543 votes. May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and lifetime Senator is the president-elect of the Italian Republic. ...

Ballots

First ballot (May 8)

The Union initially proposed lifetime Senator Giorgio Napolitano as its official candidate, in an attempt to reach an agreement with the House of Freedoms, whose votes are necessary to have a successful election at the first ballot; however, the centre-right opposition declared it did not intend to vote for Napolitano, and instead announced its own members would vote for Gianni Letta. After this announcement, the Union declared that its members would cast a blank vote in the first ballot, in order not to waste Napolitano's candidacy, with the exception of the Rose in the Fist, which would vote for either Adriano Sofri or Emma Bonino. Inside the centre-right, the Christian Democracy for the Autonomies and the Socialist Party New PSI voted for journalist Giuliano Ferrara. Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and lifetime Senator is the president-elect of the Italian Republic. ... Gianni Letta (born April 15, 1935 in Avezzano) is an Italian politician, member of the Forza Italia party. ... The Rose in the Fist is an Italian political federation of parties founded in 2005. ... Adriano Sofri (born August 1, 1942), Italian politician, intellectual, journalist, writer and convicted felon. ... Emma Bonino was born on March 9, 1948 in Bra, is an Italian politician and is now a Member of the European Parliament. ... Christian Democracy for the Autonomies (Italian: Democrazia Cristiana per le Autonomie), often referred to as New DC (Nuova DC), is a minor centrist political party founded in 2005 by former Democrats Centre Union MP Gianfranco Rotondi. ... The Partito Socialista – Nuovo PSI (NPSI) is a small Italian party which professes a social-democratic ideology and claims to be the successor to the old Italian Socialist Party, which was disbanded after the judiciary tempest of the early 1990s (see Mani Pulite). ...

The voting operations started at 16:00 CEST; as no candidate obtained the 673 votes requested to win the election, a new ballot was held in the morning of May 9. Time zones of Europe: Pale colours indicate countries without daylight saving Central European Summer Time (CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ...

Results

Among the other votes casted, there were one vote each for Linda Giuva, wife of Massimo D'Alema, singer/songwriter Francesco Guccini and controversial writer Oriana Fallaci. A vote for Giorgio Almirante, historical leader of the Italian Social Movement died in 1988, was declared invalid. Gianni Letta (born April 15, 1935 in Avezzano) is an Italian politician, member of the Forza Italia party. ... Massimo DAlema (born on April 20, 1949 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian journalist and politician, a former prime minister and a former national secretary of the PDS, Partito Democratico della Sinistra. ... Adriano Sofri (born August 1, 1942), Italian politician, intellectual, journalist, writer and convicted felon. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and lifetime Senator is the president-elect of the Italian Republic. ... Gino Strada is a war surgeon and founder of the Italian-based NGO Emergency. ... Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (born in Livorno, 9 December 1920) was elected as the tenth President of the Italian Republic on May 13, 1999. ... Giuliano Amato (born May 13, 1938) is an Italian politician. ... Umberto Bossi, with a green Padania-inspired handkerchief. ... Cesare Previti (born on October 21, 1934) is a former Italian Defence Minister. ... Giulio Andreotti Giulio Andreotti (born in Rome, 14 January 1919) is an Italian political figure, among the most powerful in post-war Italy. ... (born 29 September 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... Massimo DAlema (born on April 20, 1949 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian journalist and politician, a former prime minister and a former national secretary of the PDS, Partito Democratico della Sinistra. ... Francesco Guccini Francesco Guccini (born June 14, 1940 in Modena) is an Italian singer-songwriter and author. ... Oriana Fallaci Oriana Fallaci (born June 29, 1929) is an Italian journalist , author and political interviewer. ... Giorgio Almirante (1914-1988) was the founder and leader of the Italian Social Movement until his retirement in 1987. ... The Italian Social Movement (Movimento sociale italiano) (MSI) was a neo-Fascist party formed 1946 in the post-World War II period by supporters of the executed dictator Benito Mussolini under the lead of Giorgio Almirante. ...

Second ballot (May 9)

This ballot, as well as the first, required a majority of 673 votes. After several discussions about the opportunity to vote Giorgio Napolitano, the House of Freedoms decided to cast a blank vote too. However, the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats declared its members could vote for Napolitano in the next ballot, an opinion which is not shared within the coalition. Because of all that, the Union members did not vote for Napolitano yet. Rather than to cast a blank vote, the centre-left party Popular-UDEUR instead decided to vote in this ballot for an own symbolic candidate, Giuseppe De Rita. The Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (Italian: Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro) is a political party in Italy formed by a merger of the former Centro Cristiano Democratico and Christiani Democratici Uniti parties. ... The Popular-UDEUR (Italian: Popolari-UDEUR) is a small centrist political party in Italy, led by Clemente Mastella. ...

The voting operations started at 11:30 CEST. Time zones of Europe: Pale colours indicate countries without daylight saving Central European Summer Time (CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ...

Results

Among the other votes, there were one vote each for rock musician Vasco Rossi and Luciano Moggi, general manager of football team Juventus F.C.. Umberto Bossi, with a green Padania-inspired handkerchief. ... Massimo DAlema (born on April 20, 1949 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian journalist and politician, a former prime minister and a former national secretary of the PDS, Partito Democratico della Sinistra. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and lifetime Senator is the president-elect of the Italian Republic. ... Gianni Letta (born April 15, 1935 in Avezzano) is an Italian politician, member of the Forza Italia party. ... Gino Strada is a war surgeon and founder of the Italian-based NGO Emergency. ... Giuliano Amato (born May 13, 1938) is an Italian politician. ... Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (born in Livorno, 9 December 1920) was elected as the tenth President of the Italian Republic on May 13, 1999. ... Franco Marini (born 9 April 1933) is an Italian politician, prominent member of the centre-left Daisy party, and newly-elected Speaker of the Senate of Italy. ... Massimo DAlema (born on April 20, 1949 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian journalist and politician, a former prime minister and a former national secretary of the PDS, Partito Democratico della Sinistra. ... This article needs translation. ... Luciano Moggi (born July 10, 1937 in Monticiano) is an Italian football managing director. ... Juventus Football Club (Latin for Youth, pronounced ) is one of Italys oldest and most renowned football clubs, based in Turin, Piedmont, and it competes in Serie A. It is widely regarded as one of the most supported and successful football clubs in the world. ...

Third ballot (May 9)

After the second ballot, Silvio Berlusconi declared his coalition would never vote for either Giorgio Napolitano or any other candidate associated with the Democrats of the Left, and would continue casting blank votes for both the third and probably also the fourth ballot. However, Pier Ferdinando Casini, leader of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats, an ally of Berlusconi in the House of Freedoms, declared his party considers it "a mistake not to vote for Giorgio Napolitano as President of the Republic" and expressed a wish for a large consensus among the political forces on Napolitano's name. On the other hand, the Union declared its members would again cast a blank vote in this ballot, but would vote for Napolitano in the fourth ballot, to be held on May 10, for which a plain majority of votes is required for a successful election. Pierferdinando Casini Pier Ferdinando (or Pierferdinando) Casini (born on 3 December 1955 in Bologna, Italy) is an Italian politician, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2006, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and member of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) party. ...

The voting operations started at 17:00 CEST. Time zones of Europe: Pale colours indicate countries without daylight saving Central European Summer Time (CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ...

Results

Massimo DAlema (born on April 20, 1949 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian journalist and politician, a former prime minister and a former national secretary of the PDS, Partito Democratico della Sinistra. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and lifetime Senator is the president-elect of the Italian Republic. ... Gianni Letta (born April 15, 1935 in Avezzano) is an Italian politician, member of the Forza Italia party. ... Gino Strada is a war surgeon and founder of the Italian-based NGO Emergency. ... Massimo DAlema (born on April 20, 1949 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian journalist and politician, a former prime minister and a former national secretary of the PDS, Partito Democratico della Sinistra. ... Giuliano Amato (born May 13, 1938) is an Italian politician. ... (born 29 September 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (born in Livorno, 9 December 1920) was elected as the tenth President of the Italian Republic on May 13, 1999. ... Roberto Formigoni (b. ... Tina Anselmi was born the 25th of march 1927 in Castelfranco Veneto, district of Treviso. ... Sergio Pininfarina is a famed automobile designer, like his father, Battista Pininfarina. ...

Fourth ballot (May 10)

The fourth ballot is the first one who requires simply a plain majority for a successful election, that is 505 votes; thus, The Union could elect its own candidate without any need to find an agreement with the House of Freedoms.

The Union declared its members would vote for Giorgio Napolitano in this ballot. Instead, the House of Freedoms declared its own members would cast a blank vote; however, the decision was not taken unanimously, as the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats clearly showed its approval of Napolitano's candidacy. Former secretary of the party Marco Follini declared he would vote for him. Marco Follini (born on 26 September 1954 in Rome, Italy) is a Italian politician, and National Secretary of the Democrats Centre Union party. ...

The voting operations, started at 9:30 CEST, resulted in the election of Giorgio Napolitano as President of the Italian Republic. Time zones of Europe: Pale colours indicate countries without daylight saving Central European Summer Time (CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ...

Results

Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and lifetime Senator is the president-elect of the Italian Republic. ... Umberto Bossi, with a green Padania-inspired handkerchief. ... Massimo DAlema (born on April 20, 1949 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian journalist and politician, a former prime minister and a former national secretary of the PDS, Partito Democratico della Sinistra. ... Gianni Letta (born April 15, 1935 in Avezzano) is an Italian politician, member of the Forza Italia party. ... (born 29 September 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... Roberto Dipiazza Roberto Dipiazza (born February 1, 1953 in Aiello del Friuli, Udine) is the Mayor of Trieste, Italy, an office hes held since 2001. ... Sergio Pininfarina is a famed automobile designer, like his father, Battista Pininfarina. ...

Proposed candidates

House of Freedoms

• Gianni Letta, former presidential undersecretary under the three governments of Silvio Berlusconi;

Gianni Letta (born April 15, 1935 in Avezzano) is an Italian politician, member of the Forza Italia party. ... (born 29 September 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ...

The Union

• Giuliano Amato, former Prime Minister of Italy (two times), now Member of Parliament with the Olive Tree;
• Massimo D'Alema, former Prime Minister of Italy, now President and prominent member of the Democrats of the Left. He has received support by most of the coalition, including his party, the Daisy-Democracy is Freedom, the Party of Italian Communists and others, but he has also been criticized by several parts of the opposition;
• Anna Finocchiaro, former Minister for Gender Equality, member of the Democrats of the Left and leader of the Olive Tree in the Senate;
• Franco Marini, incumbent Speaker of the Italian Senate, member of the Daisy-Democracy is Freedom party. On May 4, he announced not to intend to run for the office.
• Giorgio Napolitano, lifetime Senator, now member of the Democrats of the Left, officially endorsed by the Union on May 7;
• Franca Rame, theater actress, wife of Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo, Senator of the Italy of Values, proposed by party leader Antonio Di Pietro.

Giuliano Amato (born May 13, 1938) is an Italian politician. ... For the Italian political alliance see Olive Tree, and the color, olive (color). ... Massimo DAlema (born on April 20, 1949 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian journalist and politician, a former prime minister and a former national secretary of the PDS, Partito Democratico della Sinistra. ... The Democrats of the Left (Italian: Democratici di Sinistra, often referred to as DS) is the main Italian left-wing political party, part of the Ulivo electoral coalition. ... Daisy-Democracy is Freedom (full name in Italian: Democrazia è Libertà – La Margherita: Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy) is a centrist political Party in Italy. ... The Party of Italian Communists (Italian: Partito dei Comunisti Italiani, also translated into English as Italian Communists Party) is a political party in Italy. ... Franco Marini (born 9 April 1933) is an Italian politician, prominent member of the centre-left Daisy party, and newly-elected Speaker of the Senate of Italy. ... Daisy-Democracy is Freedom (full name in Italian: Democrazia è Libertà – La Margherita: Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy) is a centrist political Party in Italy. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and lifetime Senator is the president-elect of the Italian Republic. ... Sir Edward Appletons medal Photographs of Nobel Prize Medals. ... Dario Fo Dario Fo (born March 24, 1926), is a left-wing Italian satirist playwright, theater director and composer. ... Italy of Values (Italian: Italia dei Valori, also known as Lista Di Pietro) is a liberal party and anti-corruption political movement in Italy, headed by former magistrate and Mani Pulite campaigner Antonio Di Pietro. ... Antonio di Pietro Antonio Di Pietro (born Montenero di Bisaccia, Italy, October 2, 1950) is an Italian Senator and was a magistrate in the team of the so-called Mani Pulite. Born to a poor rural family of Molise, very young he went Germany to work as a waiter in...

Criticisms and Reactions

There has been some criticisms voiced from all the political spectrum about the Presidential elections, most of it coming from the minority right-wing coalition. Since both the speakers of the House were chosen from the winning coalition, the House of Freedoms demanded an equidistant person for the role of of President. L'Unione stressed the fact that the Italian Constitution demands the President to be a defender of the Constitution, hinting that such a feat was scarce among the opposition members.

Most of the criticism focused on how the President should have been selected. Surprisingly, given the enormous heat and animosity shown in the previous general elections, the two coalition leaders organized a meeting to try to come up with a candidate that was acceptable to both. The attempts failed quickly, with the Union arguing that the House of Freedom was not interested in any candidate, and the House of Freedom arguing that the Union was not proposing any that were acceptable. A general election for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy was held on April 9 and April 10, 2006. ...

Silvio Berlusconi, the leader of the opposition, was the most vocal opponent of any candidate that came from the former Italian Communist Party staying true to his anti-communist stance taken in the elections. His allies, especially the UDC, openly disagreed with his intransigence but vowed to stick with their ally decision. Yet when Napolitano was elected, Silvio Berlusconi gave an interview to one of his political magazines Panorama saying that the UDC betrayed him by letting 60 of his electors cast a blank vote at the first ballot, instead of supporting the official candidate Gianni Letta. When the UDC argued that this could have meant the end of the Coalition, Silvio Berlusconi quickly changed his stance by saying, as he did many other times before, that he was "misunderstood" and that he never gave that journalist an interview. (born 29 September 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... The Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI) or Italian Communist Party emerged as Partito Comunista dItalia or Communist Party of Italy from a secession by the Leninist comunisti puri tendency from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) during that bodys congress on 21 January 1921 at Livorno. ... The Democrats Centre Union or Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (Italian: Unione Democratici di Centro or Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro) is a political party in Italy formed by a merger of the former Centro Cristiano Democratico and Cristiani Democratici Uniti parties. ... Panorama is an Italian newsmagazine owned by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. ... Gianni Letta (born April 15, 1935 in Avezzano) is an Italian politician, member of the Forza Italia party. ...

On the Left, many journalists argued that, while the grassroot base of the Union was by large in favour of Napolitano, the politicians in the chambers were mostly interested in D'Alema. D'Alema was not people's favourite mostly because when he was Prime Minister he did want to change the Constitution, thus not qualifying for the basic requirements of the Presidency. Others argued that, while Silvio Berlusconi was vehemently opposed to D'Alema presidency, all his aides as for example Marcello Dell'Utri, and alligned newspapers for example Il Giornale and Libero strongly campaigned for D'Alema. This added to the fact that D'Alema is notorious among the leftists for having set up his government thanks to Silvio Berluconi's vote, made his candidacy not very well liked. Marcello DellUtri (born Palermo, 11 September 1941), Italian politician. ... Italian for The Newspaper, Il Giornale was essentially the first Starbucks. ... Libero can refer to: A specialist defensive position in soccer (also known as a sweeper). ...

Moderates in the left liked D'Alema more, mostly because his presidency would have given Romano Prodi a stabler government, since the biggest party of the Union had not been rewarded with any position, neither in the Chambers nor in the presidency. Others argued though that this was a particracy's mentality and would have not helped Italy as a whole. (born 9 August 1939) is a centre-left Italian politician. ... Particracy is a form of government where the will of political parties dominates over the will of individual politicians. ...

Sources

• ((Italian)) Official results (from the Italian Parliament website)