Sergio Mattarella reelected Italy’s president amid deep divisions

80-year-old did not want a new term but was persuaded to stay on after failure to find successor

Sergio Mattarella has been reelected as Italy's president, ending days of a farcical parliamentary voting process that has exposed deep divisions within the country's governing coalition.

Mattarella won a second seven-year mandate with 759 votes, far exceeding the threshold of 505, after being persuaded to stay on in the role after ruling party leaders failed to reach an agreement on a candidate who could secure broad support from the 1,009 parliamentarians and regional representatives electing the president.