Former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi He said on Saturday that he had decided not to run for president, removing a hurdle to cross-party negotiations ahead of a vote in parliament that begins on January 24.
Prime Minister’s nomination mario draghi it is seen as the most likely outcome, but it is not yet clear whether the wide range of parties that support his coalition will back him for fear that his exit will trigger snap national elections.
Berlusconi said he wanted the former president of the European Central Bank continue to lead the government until the natural end of the legislature, in 2023.
“I have decided to take a further step on the path of national responsibility, asking those who proposed it to give up indicating my name for the Presidency of the Republic,” Berlusconi said.
The right-wing coalition had called on Berlusconi to run for president, but his bid was unlikely to succeed due to difficulties in mustering the broad support needed among the more than 1,000 lawmakers and regional delegates involved.
Berlusconi is a highly divisive figure in Italy and the centre-left has already ruled out backing him.
Berlusconi was temporarily barred from holding public office after a tax fraud conviction in 2013, and is still on trial for bribing witnesses in an underage prostitution case linked to his “Bunga Bunga” sex parties of more than a decade. behind.
The Italian president has many ceremonial duties, but is also responsible for resolving political crises, making him a key player in a country where governments survive a year on average.
The winner of the parliamentary vote needs a two-thirds majority in any of the first three rounds of voting. An absolute majority is sufficient from there.
Neither the centre-right nor the centre-left bloc has enough votes to impose a candidate of its own, meaning some kind of compromise will be needed to avoid a prolonged stalemate.
“We will work with the center-right leaders to agree on a name that can achieve a broad consensus in Parliament,” Berlusconi’s statement said.
