Sergio Mattarella’s mandate as President of the Republic has now come to an end. There are a lot of questions, one of this is: Who will be the successor?
That of the President of the Republic is a fundamental figure in the Italian legal system, it represents an important point of reference. In seven years, Mattarella has appointed four different governments, of which only three in the last legislature and supported by radically different majorities: first the coalition between the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party and finally the current one with almost everyone in it. During these steps, Sergio Mattarella was able to evaluate the different political moments, always finding different and appropriate solutions. The Constitution defines the President of the Republic as “Head of State” and representative of national unity. It means that in the exercise of his powers, he must carry out a function of Constitutional guarantee, that is, to preserve the Constitution that unites citizens among themselves. Mattarella has been able to best represent National Unity, carrying out its duties correctly and showing its soul. In one of his speeches, Mattarella goes from thanks to the heart of his speech, the one in which he leaves his personal testimony and legacy of what it was for him to crown the office of head of state. In defining the profile of a head of state, he does not dare to talk about his work as president of the Republic. <<It is not up to me to say if and how much he managed to fulfill this duty. What I wanted to tell you is that I have worked, in every circumstance, to carry out my task in strict compliance with the Constitution >>. Traditionally, the President of the Italian Republic is a man of consensus who brings together all political parties. He usually wins the votes of the majority of the electorate on his name.
According to my opinion the president should be elected by universal suffrage. We have recently read in the newspapers or heard on TV the proposal to lower the minimum threshold of age for the right to vote from 18 to 16 years. It is not the first time that it is spoken about and Italy would not be the first country to adopt it.
But what is the vote? First, perhaps it is necessary to clarify that the vote is the instrument by which the people exercise their power. In fact, in democratic regimes it is the people who govern themselves, freely choosing their representatives. Throughout history this concept has been set aside, forgotten. When we talk about Italy, we must remember that it has existed, as we know it, only since 1861, the year of its unification. The right to vote was reserved exclusively for upper-class males, those who paid a certain amount of taxes a year to the State and were over 25 years old. In 1881 the right was extended to include the middle-class and the minimum age lowered to 21 years. Universal male suffrage was only achieved in 1918. Women will conquer this denied right only in 1945 and the debut took place with the administrative elections and then with the institutional referendum of 1946. Therefore, I’d like to have the right to choose through my vote my President.
(+17 rating, 18 votes)
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