For the second time in a row President Sergio Mattarella of Italy has been sworn in for a second seven-year term. After Italian political parties failed to agree on a successor, the 80-year-old agreed to stay on as head.On Thursday, parliament erupted in cheers as Mattarella spoke of his sense of responsibility during the COVID-19 outbreak and Italy's stumbling economy.

Mattarella stated, "The parliament and regional representatives made their decision." "It's a fresh, unanticipated call to accountability for me that I can't and won't ignore." 

Mattarella is the second president to accept a second term, following Giorgio Napolitano, who agreed to remain on after a similar political impasse before stepping down in 2015 at the age of almost 90. Although the role of the Italian President is mostly ceremonial, it does need institutional knowledge and the capacity to negotiate in order to avert political crises.

The current government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi is anticipated to complete its mandate, which expires next year, if Mattarella stays in power. On Thursday, the president called for unity, saying that a protracted state of political instability and hostility would have put Italian citizens' lives in jeopardy.

Mattarella, a career lawyer, was originally hesitant to accept a second term, but Draghi's coalition government's split parties were unable to agree on a single presidential candidate. For 25 years, the 80-year-old Italian MP served as a cabinet minister five times.

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