At a joint meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the 80-year-old swore to exercise his office for the good of the republic and with respect for the constitution. Mattarella is the twelfth President of Italy, but only the second after Giorgio Napolitano to be re-elected for a second term.
As is tradition, the bell of the Palazzo Montecitorio, seat of the Chamber of Deputies, rang at the beginning of the swearing-in ceremony. Mattarella was received by the Presidents of the Chamber and Senate. Prime Minister Mario Draghi and all members of the government also attended the swearing-in ceremony.
“Unexpected Prompt”
Mattarella said in his swearing-in address that his re-election was an “unexpected challenge” that he could not and would not evade. He was referring to his re-election at the end of a difficult eight-round presidential election last week, in which the parties could not agree on a successor for Mattarella. The parties represented in parliament then asked Mattarella to continue in office, although the lawyer had actually emphasized several times that he wanted to retire.
Observers assume that Mattarella will not remain in the Quirinal Palace for the full seven-year term. He could resign before the end of his mandate, as did President Giorgio Napolitano, who was re-elected in a similar constellation in 2013. Napolitano resigned two years after his extension. In any case, Mattarella will remain in office until the 2023 general election and the swearing-in of a new government.
Italy’s president has largely representative functions. In times of political crisis, however, he can exercise great influence – he can dissolve parliament, appoint a new prime minister or deny mandates to fragile coalitions.
“Restart the economy”
In his speech, Mattarella highlighted the health, economic and social challenges facing Italy. “Italy is the biggest beneficiary of the EU recovery program. We need to relaunch the economy by betting on sustainability and innovation in the digital and environmental transition,” said Mattarella in his 40-minute speech, which was applauded countless times by parliamentarians was interrupted. Italy must “steer the process of reviving Europe,” he said. The head of state also paid tribute to the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, who died in January.
Mattarella was sworn in in a festively decorated hall with red curtains and 21 Italian flags on the very day that his first seven-year term ended. The head of the right-wing party Lega, which is co-governing in Rome, Matteo Salvini, tested positive for the corona virus during a screening before the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday. He was therefore not admitted to the swearing-in ceremony in Parliament in Rome. A total of 13 of the approximately 1,009 electors who underwent pre-swearing-in antigen testing tested positive.
Source: Nachrichten
