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Italy's President Sergio Mattarella
Photo: Quirinal Press Office/ Paolo Gia / imago images/ZUMA Press
In the eighth ballot, the Italian parliament re-elected the incumbent head of state, Sergio Mattarella.
The 80-year-old received more than 505 votes in the eighth round of voting on Saturday and thus the required absolute majority, as reported by several media.
In the previous elections, none of the candidates had received the necessary majority.
Before the election, Mattarella had repeatedly ruled out another term.
Nevertheless, he received almost 400 votes in the seventh ballot on Saturday.
The coalition parties then said they had agreed on Mattarella's choice in the next round.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi, among others, asked Matteralla to agree to a second term for the good of the country, an insider reported on Saturday.
In the run-up to the election, Draghi himself had expressed ambitions for the presidency.
President with far-reaching powers in times of crisis
Italy's president has largely representative functions, but in times of political crisis he can exercise great influence - dissolving parliament, appointing the new prime minister or denying mandates to fragile coalitions.
The presidential election began on Monday, it is secret and there are no official lists of candidates.
In order to speed up the process, two ballots per day have been scheduled since Friday.
tfb/AFP/dpa/Reuters