Italian presidential election, 1985
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The 1985 election of the President of the Italian Republic was held on June 24, 1985. As a second-level, indirect election, only Members of Parliament and regional deputies were entitled to vote. Francesco Cossiga was elected head of state of the Italian Republic, a role of representation of national unity and guarantee that Italian politics comply with the Constitution, in the framework of a parliamentary system.
On June 24, 1985, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy Nilde Iotti, in agreement with Senate Speaker Francesco Cossiga, convened the two houses of the Italian Parliament, integrated with a number of representatives appointed by the twenty Italian regions, in a common session in order to commence voting for the election of the new President of the Italian Republic.
According to the Italian Constitution, the election must be held in the form of secret ballot, with the Senators, the Deputies and 59 regional representatives allowed to cast their votes. When the 1985 election was held, the Senate counted 322 members and the Chamber of Deputies counted 630 members; the electors were in total 1011. The election is held in the Palazzo Montecitorio, home of the Chamber of Deputies, with the capacity of the building being expanded for the purpose. The first three ballots require a two-thirds majority of the voters in order to elect a President, in this election equivalent to 674 votes. Starting from the fourth ballot, an absolute majority is required for candidates to be elected. The election is conducted by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, who has the authority to proceed to the public counting of the votes. The presidential mandate lasts seven years.
Outgoing President Sandro Pertini, was elected in 1978 at the 16th ballot, becoming only the first president from the Italian Socialist Party.
On June 24, Francesco Cossiga, the candidate endorsed by the Christian Democracy, was elected on the first ballot with 752 votes, becoming the first president ever elected on the first ballot. His term officially started with a swearing-in ceremony held on July 3.
Ballots
First ballot (June 24)
The voting operations ended at 18:00 CEST.
| Name | Votes |
|---|---|
| Francesco Cossiga | 752 |
| Arnaldo Forlani | 16 |
| Alessandro Pertini | 12 |
| Other candidates | 49 |
| Blank votes | 141 |
| Invalid votes | 7 |
| Abstentions | 2 |
Parliamentary elections of the Italian Presidents  | |
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