The term of office of Sergio Mattarella expires on 3 February and Roberto Fico has called the Parliament in joint session for the election of the President of the Republic which begins on Monday 24 January.

WHO ARE THE GREAT VOTERS - They are 1,009: 630 deputies, 321 senators including six for life, 58 delegates from the Regional Councils (three for the Region, one for the Aosta Valley, the Sardinians are Christian Solinas, Michele Pais and Gianfranco Ganau) .

VOTING OPERATIONS - This year, due to Covid and due to the sanitation operations that lengthen the times, one vote per day will be carried out instead of the usual two.

It starts on January 24th at 3 pm, Roberto Fico who chairs the session will read the list of regional delegates, then the voting operations will begin in the Chamber of Deputies. You vote in person and the session, even if it takes place over several days, is considered unique. Parliament will be convened every day for a single vote until the white smoke.

This year, again due to Covid, there are no traditional wooden bier with curtain, not very sanitizable, but four brand new voting booths equipped with ventilation systems and which in any case guarantee the secrecy of the vote.

The vote is secret, which is why the snipers are often tripped up during the election of the President of the Republic. All the senators vote first, then the deputies, then the regional delegates. The call is done twice. Major voters must enter the Chamber strictly with the Ffp2 mask.

THE UNDERCARRIAGE - Roberto Fico takes care of it, reading aloud the names of the candidates one by one. The account is kept by the officials of the Chamber and by the members of the Montecitorio presidency office, on the occasion "scrutineers".

In order to be recorded in the minutes, the candidates' preferences must be at least two and whoever receives only one vote is counted among the missing.

HOW THE POSITIVES VOTE - Sergio Mattarella has signed a decree law to allow large voters in isolation or quarantine for Covid to participate in the votes.