Letter to start presidential election process to be sent on Jan 4

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 14 - Lower House Speaker Roberto Fico told reporters on Tuesday that he will send the letter summoning Italy's parliamentarians and representatives of the regions to elect a new president on January 4.
    Speaking to journalists to exchange Christmas greetings, Fico said the letter would state when voting would start.
    President Sergio Mattarella's seven-year term ends early in February.
    Under the Constitution, the head of State acts as a sort of referee of Italian politics and the role is especially important at times of political crisis.
    This was seen, for example, in how Mattarella paved the way for Premier Mario Draghi's broad government of national unity early in 2021 after ex-premier Giuseppe Conte's executive lost its majority in parliament. (ANSA).