ABSTRACT
At the very end of his seven-year term, the eighth president of the Italian Republic, Francesco Cossiga, suddenly resigned. At the time of his election, Cossiga was considered a non-controversial political notable. Elected Speaker of the Senate in 1983, he still occupied this office at the time of his election to the presidency of the Republic in June 1985. The "miracle" of such a quick and quasi unanimous election was accomplished by Ciriaco De Mita, then Secretary General of the Christian Democrats. Christian Democrat Oscar Luigi Scalfaro was elected Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies by a large majority, including the Partito democratico della sinistra (PDS), after Socialist opposition blocked the candidacy of PDS reformist leader Giorgio Napolitano. The election of the president of the Republic has always been a complex affair, made difficult both by constitutional rules and political factors. The prevailing socio-political climate seemed to make the election of an impeccably honest politician imperative.
