A patrician figure sometimes described as cold and reserved, 75-year-old Mattarella is the first president in the history of the republic to hail from Sicily. Elected in early 2015, he is so far untested by the kind of challenge that earned his predecessor Giorgio Napolitano the nickname “King George.” Until now, Mattarella has been seen as a man promoted to the job on Renzi’s wishes in the hope that he would stick to the ceremonial aspects of the role. [...]
In Italy’s stormy politics, where prime ministers last an average of just one year in office, presidents often have to steer the ship through choppy waters. This weekend, following consultations with party leaders, Mattarella will have to decide whether to appoint a temporary replacement for Renzi, or give the 41-year-old incumbent a new mandate until fresh elections can be called, probably in 2017.
Since the mani pulite corruption scandals two decades ago that wiped out the traditional parties, the president of the republic has become “a referee of situations that political forces didn’t manage to control anymore,” said Stefano Stefanini, who was an adviser to Napolitano. [...]
One characteristic of the current crisis in Italy is that, unlikely on previous such occasions when serving presidents have turned to the Bank of Italy in the search for a safe pair of hands to run technocratic governments — such as Lamberto Dini and Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who later became head of state — this time the speculation includes Pietro Grasso, the former head of the national anti-Mafia bureau who now presides over the Senate.
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