1985 Italian presidential election explained

The 1985 Italian presidential election was held on 24 June 1985.

Only members of Parliament and regional delegates were entitled to vote, most of these electors having been elected in the 1983 general election and in the 1985 regional elections. As head of state of the Italian Republic, the President has a role of representation of national unity and guarantees that Italian politics comply with the Italian Constitution, in the framework of a parliamentary system.

As a result of the election, Francesco Cossiga was elected President on the first round with almost 75% of the votes. It was the first time in the history of the Italian Republic that a President had been elected on the first round.

Procedure

In accordance with the Italian Constitution, the election was held in the form of a secret ballot, with the Senators and the Deputies entitled to vote. The election was held in the Palazzo Montecitorio, home of the Chamber of Deputies, with the capacity of the building expanded for the purpose. The first three ballots required a two-thirds majority of the 1,008 voters in order to elect a president, or 673 votes. Starting from the fourth ballot, an absolute majority was required for candidates to be elected, or 505 votes. The presidential mandate lasts seven years.

The election was presided over by the President of the Chamber of Deputies Nilde Iotti, who proceeded to the public counting of the votes, and by the President of the Senate Francesco Cossiga.

Candidates

Francesco Cossiga, former Prime Minister and Minister, member of the Christian Democracy's left-wing faction, was first proposed by the party's leader Ciriaco De Mita as the candidate of the governing Pentapartito alliance.

Political background

In the 1980s, for the first time since 1945, two governments were led by non-christian democrat Prime Ministers: a republican (Giovanni Spadolini) and a socialist (Bettino Craxi); while the Christian Democracy remained however the main force supporting the government.

With the end of the Years of Lead, Craxi cabinet was working to restore stability in the Italian politics. The candidacy of the christian democrat Francesco Cossiga, first proposed by the Christian Democracy leader Ciriaco De Mita, was sustained by all the parties which were members of the coalition government (the so called Pentapartito alliance) and also by the communist leader Alessandro Natta.

On 24 June 1985 Cossiga was elected President and officially sworn in on 3 July 1985.

Results

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Candidate	First round 24 June 1985
Francesco Cossiga	752
Arnaldo Forlani	16
Sandro Pertini	12
Other candidates	49
Blank papers	141
Invalid papers	7
Abstentions	31
Total	1,008
align=left colspan=8	Source: Presidency of the Republic