From the Montecitorio urn the only name that has not come out is that of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Probably to avoid repeating the screenplay of the film “Welcome President” where the protagonist, Claudio Bisio, an illustrious unknown, is elected president of the Republic due to a misunderstanding and the lack of agreement between the political leaders. A film not too far from current events, but avoiding a nightmare scenario, blank ballots prevailed in total uncertainty. Excluding the votes given – more as a joke than seriously – to the goalkeeper of the national team, world soccer champion in 1982, Dino Zoff, who will turn eighty on February 28th; to the writer Mauro Corona, but also to the judge emeritus of the Constitutional Court, Sabino Cassese.
Black smoke for the Quirinale: from Amadeus to Bruno Vespa the joke-votes of the first ballot
In the count of the first vote for the President of the Republic, one vote went to Salvatore Borsellino, brother of the magistrate murdered by the mafia in 1992 and another to the magistrate Nicola Gratteri. A vote also for Gioacchino Gabbuti, former CEO of Atac, also votes for Liliana Segre, Claudio Lotito, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giuliano Amato and Pierferdinando Casini. A vote also for Carlo Nordio, the magistrate who would like the president of the Brothers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, to the Quirinali. Some votes also go to the deputy of the Misto group Antonio Tasso. Walter Veltroni, Francesco Rutelli and the Genoese deputy Roberto Cassinelli were also nominated. Votes also for Mario Segni and Giuseppe Cossiga, sons of the Heads of State Antonio and Francesco, but also for the jurist Ugo Mattei, who became leader of the No Green pass, and for the journalist Claudio Sabelli Fioretti.
In the count of the first vote for the President of the Republic, a few handfuls of votes also went to “illustrious strangers”: surnames of people outside the notoriety that do exist (it was verified by the offices of the Chamber) that are read by President Fico.