Former President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano dies aged 98

NBorn in Naples in 1925, Napolitano, who underwent several surgeries in recent years, resigned in 2015, after almost a decade as head of state, becoming the first president of the Italian Republic re-elected for a second term.

Before taking on the role of president, Giorgio Napolitano, who turned 98 on June 29, was president of the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of the Italian parliament), Minister of the Interior, MEP and senator.

A member of the Communist Party (PCI), in 2006 he became the first president of the Republic from this political formation, and since then he has been in charge of forming the Government of five prime ministers: Romano Prodi (2006-2008), Silvio Berlusconi (2008-2011) , Mario Monti (2011-2013), Enrico Letta (2013-2014) and Matteo Renzi (2014-2016).

In 2013, at the age of 88, he made history as the oldest head of state in Europe and the first to serve a second term in Italy, due to the inability of political formations to find a successor, which was repeated later with the current president of the country, Sergio Mattarella.

As protocol stipulates, a large state funeral is expected, such as the one organized for former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi last June, although in this case it was an exceptional circumstance, as the tycoon never held the position of President of the Republic.

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