Record holder Sergio Mattarella. The current occupant of the Quirinale is expected to exceed the length of his mandate as President of the Republic compared to all his predecessors, with 3,167 days of uninterrupted activity since February 3, 2015. As of tomorrow, Mattarella will also exceed the 3,166 days of commitment of Giorgio Napolitano and occupies first place in terms of mandate. Both re-elected for a second term, both Mattarella and Napolitano obviously double the other presidents, who remained in office for a maximum of “only” seven years. But the current head of state now surpasses even his predecessor: Napolitano was elected for the first time on May 10, 2006, taking office on May 15 (he was 80 years old); the second time he was re-elected on April 20, 2013 and took office two days later, on April 22. He resigned on January 14, 2015, at age 89. Total, in fact, 3,166 days of effective presidency, from inauguration to resignation. Mattarella was elected for the first time on January 31, 2015, taking office on February 3, at the age of 73; the second time on January 29, 2022 with the inauguration scheduled for February 3.
Neither Napolitano nor Mattarella asked for an encore. In fact, both highlighted the importance of finding a new president, with words delivered up to a month before the end of their respective terms. Then, in both cases, in 2015 and 2022, although with many different actors, parliamentary chaos, the subsequent rejections of political and institutional candidates, the approaching instability and the consequent decision of the parties to request the availability of the two outgoing presidents . Mattarella would have gladly avoided it, his seven-year mandate had already been demanding enough, with managing the fight against Covid a commitment for the last two years of his mandate. And if Napolitano, when accepting the reappointment, had indicated the possibility of a limit to his encore (“until the situation of the country and institutions suggests it to me and in any case the forces allow me to do so”), the current president I did not want to establish limits explicitly, in accordance with the Constitution which does not establish them.
The second term so far has been no less onerous, with Russia’s war against Ukraine beginning twenty days after his new inauguration. And in quick succession the crisis of the Draghi government and early elections with the polls open for the first time in the summer. However, Mattarella always sought to promote maximum institutional collaboration and encourage everyone: “Italy is a great country”, he said on the day of his inauguration after his re-election.
Source: IL Tempo

Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.