Sicilian judge Sergio Mattarella elected Italian president

Yahoo – AFP, 31 Jan 2015

Newly elected Italian President Sergio Mattarella arrives at the Constitutional

Council in Rome on January 31, 2015 (AFP Photo/Tiziana Fabi)

Rome (AFP) - Sergio Mattarella, a constitutional court judge from Sicily who is seen as a symbol of Italy's battle against organised crime, was elected Italy's new president on Saturday.

The 73-year-old Sicilian, who was backed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), succeeds the hugely popular Giorgio Napolitano, who is stepping down because of his advanced age.

A member of the parliament casts his ballot

 on January 31, 2015 at the Italian

parliament in Rome during the fourth round

in the election of a new president (AFP

Photo/Andreas Solaro)

"My thoughts are, first and foremost, on the difficulties and hopes of our citizens," Mattarella said in a brief appearance.

Renzi, for whom the election was a political victory, rejoiced in a Tweet: "Good work, President Mattarella! Long live Italy!"

By choosing an austere, left-leaning social democrat Renzi unified his party, but also showed disgraced former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, an ally in important reforms, he was no longer essential.

The newly-elected president is little known to the public but is widely respected in politics after a 25-year parliamentary career and several stints as minister in governments of the left and right.

Renowned for his integrity, he entered politics after his elder brother was murdered by the Sicilian Mafia.

Mattarella won 665 votes in the fourth round of voting by a 1,009-member electoral college, composed of members of the two houses of parliament -- the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies -- and 58 representatives of the regions.

Former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano (C), surrounded by Italian politicians,

 applauds newly elected President Sergio Mattarella, on January 31, 2015, at the

parliament in Rome (AFP Photo/Andreas Solaro)

Ferdinando Imposimato, the candidate of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo, won 127 votes.

The threshold for victory at the fourth round fell to a simple majority, down from the two-thirds majority needed for a win in the three opening stages.

As the ruling party's candidate Mattarella had support from most of the 415 PD politicians in the electoral college as well as several allied lawmakers.

'Tough blow'

But Italian presidential elections are nothing if not unpredictable, meaning the vote was not devoid of suspense.

In 2013, Romano Prodi was the favourite to succeed Napolitano, but a revolt within the PD scuppered his chances and blocked a decision, forcing Napolitano to agree to start a second mandate which he always insisted he would not finish.

Now 89, Napolitano announced earlier this month that he was too tired to carry on in what is a largely ceremonial role but can become politically significant during times of crisis over the formation of new governments.

Newly elected President of Italy, Sicilian

 judge Sergio Mattarella arrives at the 

Constitutional Council in Rome, on

January 31, 2015 (AFP Photo/Filipo

Monteforte)

Renzi's backing for Mattarella has been interpreted as the end of a temporary alliance the premier forged with Berlusconi to help drive labour market and electoral reforms through parliament.

Mattarella is seen as an "anti-Berlusconi" figure, having severed his ties with the centre right in Italian politics partly because of his distaste for the media tycoon, who still heads the opposition Forza Italia party despite a tax fraud conviction.

Berlusconi had ordered his party to cast blank ballots in the voting, however than 35 members out of 142 present for voting ignored his orders, signalling a rift in the party.

Berlusconi was reported Friday to be feeling "betrayed" by Renzi. A popular theory is that the Forza Italia leader was hoping for a sympathetic figure to be installed as president to increase his chances of winning a pardon over his criminal conviction which would allow him to return to parliament.

"The PD had to show it was the backbone of the system and it did," Ezio Mauro, editor-in-chief of Italian paper La Repubblica. "For Berlusconi it is certainly a major blow."

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