Italy fails to elect president in first ballot

Rome, May 9 : Italian lawmakers failed to elect a new head of state in a first round of voting in parliament as the incoming centre-left governing coalition and its opponents could not agree on a compromise candidate.

In a secret ballot of 1,010 parliamentarians and regional representatives, no one secured the two-thirds majority required in the first three ballots to elect Italy's president, provisional results showed.

A second and if necessary third round will be held on Tuesday. By the fourth ballot, which would be held on Wednesday, a simple majority would be sufficient.

Reuters