The
President of the Italian Republic is the
head of state of
Italy and, in that role, represents national unity and guarantees that
Italian politics comply with the
Constitution. The president's term of office lasts for seven years. The 11th President of the Republic,
Giorgio Napolitano, was
elected on the fourth round of legislative balloting, on 10 May 2006 and elected to a second term on the sixth round with 738 votes, much more than the 504 necessary for a simple majority on 20 April 2013. On 31 January 2015, the incumbent President, former constitutional judge
Sergio Mattarella, was elected at the fourth ballot with 665 votes out of 1,009.