More than 1,000 parliamentarians, senators and representatives from the 20 regions will elect a new Italian head of state this week. In the first three rounds, a candidate must receive two-thirds of the vote to become president. From the fourth round, which is scheduled for Thursday, an absolute majority is sufficient.
The current Prime Minister Mario Draghi is seen as a promising candidate for the presidency. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had previously applied, but he withdrew from the race on Saturday. Since then, negotiations between the center-left and center-right parties to nominate a joint candidate have accelerated. If that becomes Draghi, he must relinquish the premiership and the parties must agree on who will succeed him in that position.