Thread by @AFP

Italy's warring parties were set Saturday to beg outgoing President Sergio Mattarella to stay for another term, fearing political chaos due to a possible failure to elect his successor
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#UPDATE Italy's parties were set Saturday to vote for outgoing President Sergio Mattarella to stay on for another term, averting the political chaos a failure to elect his successor could have sparked in the eurozone's third-largest economy
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#BREAKING Italy's President Sergio Mattarella re-elected: official

#UPDATE In the eighth round of divisive votes, Italy's parties finally decided Saturday for the outgoing president, 80-year-old Sergio Mattarella, to remain in his post for another seven-year term

#UPDATE Re-electing Mattarella to the Italian presidency ends weeks of hand-wringing over whether prized PM Mario Draghi should be elevated, with many fearing such a move would have left the government rudderless at a highly sensitive time
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