1st LD: Italian president quits before end of second tenure

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano resigned on Wednesday after almost nine years at the helm of the country and before the natural end of his second tenure.

A letter of resignation signed by the 89-year-old president was taken by his secretary general to the heads of the two chambers of parliament and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi for a formal view.

Senate speaker Pietro Grasso, the second executive of state, will take the temporary presidency. Within 15 days, Laura Boldrini, the head of the Chamber of Deputies, or lower chamber, will have to convene the parliament which will vote for a new president.

Napolitano, who will serve as a senator for life after his resignation, had made it clear several times that he would not complete his second seven-year term, explaining that he could not underestimate the signs of fatigue of his age.

On Dec. 31, 2014, he confirmed his will in a year-end address to the nation, and reiterated on Tuesday that he was looking forward to stepping down.

Napolitano, first elected in May 2006, reluctantly agreed to be re-appointed for an unprecedented second term in April 2013 to break a two-month long political stalemate in parliament brought about by inconclusive elections.

Italy's president plays a mainly ceremonial role, but can become a key player in case of political instability to help solve standstills and form governments. Endi