Brussels, 02/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - European leaders have welcomed the election of Sergio Mattarella to the Presidency of the Italian Republic, on Saturday 31 January.
“Italy has chosen a much-respected and experienced politician as head of state. His conviction and sense of justice will help Italy to continue playing a leading role in Europe”, said the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. Speaking on behalf of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker said that Mattarella's “deep experience of institutions” and “intellectual rigour” are a “guarantee of national unity and international prestige” for Italy. The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, expressed his hopes for an “excellent” term in office for the new Italian President, marked by stability and growth and following on from the actions carried out by his predecessor, Giorgio Napolitano (see EUROPE 11230).
Mattarella, 73, was elected by a majority of 665 votes out of the 1,000 Italian grand electors. He entered politics in 1980 following the murder by the Mafia of his brother, Piersanti Mattarella, then President of the Regional Council of Sicily. A Christian Democrat MP followed by a centrist, this constitutional judge has been a member of several governments led by Giulio Andreotti, Massimo D'Alema, Giuliano Amato. In the early 1990s, he stepped down from the Italian government in protest against a law promoting private interests - most notably those of Silvio Berlusconi - in the audiovisual sector. He then headed up the Christian Democracy newspaper, Il Popolo, between 1992 and 1994.
Analysts believe that Mattarella's election despite the abstention of Berlusconi's Forza Italia party will strengthen the position of the Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, on the Italian political scene. (MB)