Italian lawmakers elected Sergio Mattarella, a Constitutional Court justice widely considered to be above the political fray, on the third day of voting Saturday.
Mattarella's election as head of state was clinched when he amassed 505 votes — a simple majority. As the count continued, the 73-year-old former minister with center-left political roots went on to garner 665 votes from the 1009 eligible electors.
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