Editing Government of Italy (section)

== Head of State ==
{{Further|President of Italy|Italian order of precedence}}
[[File:Sergio Mattarella Presidente della Repubblica Italiana.jpg|thumb|left|180px|upright|[[Sergio Mattarella]], [[president of Italy]] since 3 February 2015]]
The President of the Republic of Italy is the [[head of state]] and represents the unity of the nation (art. 87 of the Constitution). The President serves as a point of connection between the [[Separation of powers|three branches]] as he is elected by the lawmakers, appoints the executive and is the president of the judiciary. The president is also [[commander-in-chief]] in time of war.

The President of the Republic of Italy is elected for seven years by Parliament in joint session, together with three representatives of each region, except for the Aosta Valley, which gets only one representative. These delegates are elected by their respective [[Regional council (Italy)|regional councils]] so as to guarantee representation to minorities. The election needs a wide majority that is progressively reduced from two-thirds to one-half plus one of the votes after the third ballot. The only presidents ever to be elected on the first ballot are [[Francesco Cossiga]] and [[Carlo Azeglio Ciampi]]. Ciampi was replaced by [[Giorgio Napolitano]], who was elected on 10 May 2006. While not forbidden by the law, no president had ever served two terms until 20 April 2013, when President [[Giorgio Napolitano]] was re-elected.

According to the [[Constitution of Italy|constitution]], any citizen who is 50 years old on the day of the election, and enjoys civil and political rights, can be elected president. The president cannot hold office in any other [[Separation of powers|branch of power]] and the office's salary and privileges are established by law.

Among the powers of the [[President of Italy|president]], they have the capacity to:<ref name="ItaConst"/>
* Send messages to the [[Italian Parliament|parliament]], authorise the introduction of bills by the [[Council of Ministers (Italy)|government]], and promulgate laws, decrees and regulations.
* [[Dissolution of parliament|Dissolve]] one or both [[Bicameralism|houses of parliament]], in consultation with their presidents, except during the last six months of his term, unless that period coincides at least in part with the final six months of the [[Italian Parliament|parliament]].
* Call a general [[Referendums in Italy|referendum]] under certain circumstances established by the [[Constitution of Italy|constitution]].
* Appoint state officials in the cases established by the law.
* Accredit and receive diplomats, and ratify [[Treaty|international treaties]], after the parliament's authorisation when required.
* Make [[declaration of war|declarations of war]] agreed upon by the [[Italian Parliament|parliament]], as [[commander-in-chief]] of the [[Italian Armed Forces|armed forces]].
* Grant [[pardon]]s, [[Commutation (law)|commute sentences]], and confer the [[orders, decorations, and medals of Italy]].

The [[President of Italy|president]] also presides over the High Council of the Judiciary and the Supreme Council of Defence. Usually, the president tries to stay out of the day-to-day politics, and tries to be an institutional guarantee for all those involved in the political process. The president is not responsible for the actions performed in the exercise of his duties, except for [[Treason|high treason]] and violation of the [[Constitution of Italy|Italian constitution]], for which the president can be [[Impeachment|impeached]] by the parliament in joint session, with an absolute majority of its members.