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July 23, 2021 A personal anniversary, the eightieth birthday, and a few days later an institutional turning point, the beginning of the white semester.

Sergio Mattarella is celebrating 80 years today and carves out a few hours of relaxation by having lunch with his family, his three children, their spouses and grandchildren.

A lunch that, like many Italians in these pandemic times, will be homemade and without friends.

Obviously there will be many phone calls that will reach the Quirinale switchboards and many testimonies from many, simple citizens and famous people, who, like and more than in previous years, will want to send


their wishes to the president also via social media.



The first message to arrive was a video, created by the municipality of Florence, in which Roberto Mancini and Gianni Morandi, Stefano Accorsi and Paolo Fresu, Irene Grandi and Bebe Vio, Nicole Orlando and Fiona May, Piefrancesco Favino, Giorgio Panariello and many others each in their own way, they wish the President their best wishes. Last year so many citizens sent a wish via social media that Mattarella replied personally, always on the profiles of the Quirinale. But after only ten days there will be an opportunity, this time institutional, which will mark a turning point of the seven-year period: from 3 August the white semester will begin during which the President cannot dissolve the Chambers, based on Article 88 of the Constitution.



In February, a few hours before summoning Mario Draghi to instruct him to form the government, Mattarella, remembering Antonio Segni, delivered a reflection on the re-election of presidents and on the blank semester. For his predecessor, the Constitution should have explicitly provided for the "non-re-eligibility" of the President, thus making it possible to "repeal" the blank semester. For Mattarella this is in fact "a provision that - in the opinion of President Segni - 'alters the difficult and delicate balance between the powers of the State and can trigger the suspension of the power to dissolve the Chambers in a political moment such as to cause serious effects'" . Words delivered to history. In fact if, as many think, even at Colle,after the reform of the cut of parliamentarians and the vote for eighteen-year-olds for the Senate, an overall revision of some aspects of the Charter will be necessary, then it will be possible to take the opportunity to reform Article 88.



Of course, now a complicated period will open for Italian politics, but at the Quirinale it is believed that the sense of responsibility should be rewarded and the very impossibility of going to the vote could even advise against taking the tensions to the extreme consequences. After all, all the other powers of the President remain intact, from moral suasion to the power of signature. Francesco Cossiga came to resign to unblock a situation in his opinion excessively 'wrapped', but everyone is certain that Mattarella, who defended the orderly and natural development of the legislature, would do nothing to traumatically interrupt a mandate that must last for the Constitution. seven years.



As promised to citizens during his year-end speech, Mattarella will continue the commitment he made for the last year of his presidency: "The restart will be at the center of this last part of my mandate. It will be a year of intense work . We have the resources to make it, "he said on New Year's Eve. Next Thursday the President will participate in the traditional ceremony of the Fan, always rigorously with a mask and respecting the distances. Many will try to interpret his words to understand if the no to re-election remains granite, as those who know him believe.



Surely the polls continue to see Mattarella as a much loved figure, institutional but close to the citizens, and some parties hope that the President can stay beyond January thus allowing Draghi to remain in Palazzo Chigi without jolts. However, the 'winning team does not change' model does not fully convince all political forces, and the President has made it known that he considers seven years more than enough, both from a personal and constitutional point of view. But the race to the Quirinale has just begun, the curves are still to be overcome, starting with the administrative elections, the international situation and in particular the European one is in motion and therefore many certainties are destined to become more evanescent. But today all these thoughts won't distract the President, birthday,especially in times of covid, it is dedicated only to the family. 



From teaching at the Quirinale

Sergio Mattarella was born in Palermo on 23 July 1941. In his academic career he taught parliamentary law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Palermo until 1983, when he was first elected to the House of Representatives. From July 1987 to 1989 he was Minister of Relations with Parliament, later he was appointed Minister of Public Education. From October 1998 he was vice president of the Council of Ministers until December 1999, when he was appointed head of defense, a position he held until June 2001. 



In 2008 he concluded his parliamentary activity, not returning to the political elections. In May 2009 he was elected by Parliament as a member of the Presidency Council of Administrative Justice, of which he was also vice president. In October 2011 he was elected constitutional judge and joined the Constitutional Court with the oath of 11 October 2011. On 31 January 2015 he was elected the twelfth President of the Republic. At the beginning of next year, Mattarella will conclude his seven-year term at the Quirinale.



Guerini: "Safe guide for Italy and all Italian citizens"

"A safe guide for Italy and for all Italians, always in the name of the Constitution, unity and the highest values ​​of democracy. Happy birthday President #Mattarella, from me and from the whole #Difesa family ". Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini writes on Twitter.



Bonetti: "In him we always find courage and trust"

"Happy birthday to President Sergio Mattarella, with deep gratitude for his life at the service of the country. In him the journey of our national community always finds the courage and trust that we need to open our eyes to the future. Best wishes, President! ". The Minister for the Family Elena


Bonetti

writes in a post on facebook

.



Sassoli: "Happy birthday: education, balance and style"

"Balance, wisdom, education, style: 80 years at the service of democracy and freedom. Happy birthday, President #Mattarella". The president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, writes on Twitter.



State Police: "Community reference point"

"Happy birthday to the President of the Republic Sergio #Mattarella. Guarantor of the Constitution under which we operate and reference point of the national community, whose security we protect every day always #service of the citizens. #Essercisempre # 23 July". This is what we read in a tweet of the State Police, published on its official account, for the 80th anniversary of the President of the Republic.



From Coni wishes to Mattarella

"Best wishes for his 80th birthday to the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella!". With this tweet, CONI wishes the Head of State who is celebrating his 80th birthday today.