Italy's President Said He Will Not Serve Second Term

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Italy's head of state, recently declared he would not seek a second term of office when his 7-year mandate expires next month.

"Fortunately, age is on my side and in a certain sense rules out the possibility of being reinstated as president. Seven years up here (in the presidency) is already a lot. Doubling it would signify, perhaps, a sort of republican monarchy," the 85-year-old Ciampi asserted.

The first act of Italy's newly elected government will be to decide on a new president. According to Italy's Constitution, the president is responsible to appoint the prime minister. Ciampi's term is coming to an end on May 18, indicating that he is considering a successor who will be chosen 1 week earlier.

Silvio Berlusconi, the centre-right premier, has not yet admitted his defeat a week after Prodi won the elections, increasing the tensions around selecting a new president.

One possible candidate for the function is Giuliano Amato, 67, a former socialist premier, accepted even by some members of Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.

Massimo D'Alema, a former prime minister who turns 57 on Thursday, another candidate for presidency, is the leader for the Democrats of the Left party.

The president will be elected by all 952 members of the 2 houses of parliament and by 58 representatives of Italy's regions. A candidate needs 674 votes to be elected. If this number is not achieved, after 3 rounds of voting, a simple majority suffices in the 4th round.