The great electors, the secret ballot, the quorum: how the election of the Head of State works
There are 1008 or 1009 electors who will gather in Montecitorio (perhaps not all of them in the classroom given the Covid emergency)
The race to Colle begins. The President of the Chamber Roberto Fico convened the Parliament in joint session on January 24 for the election of the President of the Republic who will succeed Sergio Mattarella, now at the end of his seven-year term.
The Head of State is elected in the Chamber of Deputies, chaired by the President of the Chamber. The classroom is appropriately rearranged to allow all the big voters to take their seats, but due to Covid this year things could change. In fact, probably not all voters will be allowed to remain in the classroom.
WHO ARE THE VOTERS - All the deputies, all the senators and three representatives for each region (excluding Valle d'Aosta which only brings one). So they will be 1008 or 1009, it depends on whether the seat of the Democrat Porta, taking over from Adriano Cairo, will be proclaimed before the 24th. On 11 January, the Sardinian Regional Council should decide on the three major electors of the island: as a rule, the President of the Region, the President of the Regional Council (therefore Christian Solinas and Michele Pais) and an opposition exponent (perhaps the group leader) go there. of the Democratic Party Gianfranco Ganau, formerly a great elector of Mattarella).
THE QUORUM - In the first three votes a two-thirds majority of the members of the Assembly is required, therefore in this case 672 or 673 votes. From the fourth ballot, the quorum is lowered and an absolute majority, equal to 505 votes, is sufficient to be elected. There is no consolidated practice on the frequency of voting, the joint session is considered a single session even if it goes on for several days.
VOTING - It is customary for all the senators to vote first, then the deputies and then the regional delegates. The "call" of the big voters is repeated twice. Everyone, to ensure the secrecy of the vote, enters the booths located under the presidential desk, called "catafalques", and writes the name of the candidate who intends to vote on the ballot that is given to him by the clerk and which is stamped and signed by the secretary general of Montecitorio. Then, after leaving the booth, he places the card in the wicker and green satin urn, renamed "the salad bowl".
THE UNDERCARRIAGE - The President of the Chamber does it, who reads the names of the candidates one by one aloud in the Chamber. The account of the ballots is kept by the officials of the Chamber and by the members of the Montecitorio presidency office.
THE RESULTS - They are read to the Assembly at the end of the count, for each vote. In order to be recorded in the minutes, the candidates' preferences must be at least two. Whoever receives only one vote is counted among the missing votes.
(Unioneonline / L)
