Italy fails to elect new president at third attempt

From the fourth vote, which will be held on Thursday, an absolute majority will be enough. On Wednesday, a large number of lawmakers continued to cast blank ballots.

A third round of voting for Italy's new president failed to produce a winner on Wednesday, with the centre-right and centre-left blocks apparently no closer to agreeing on a mutually acceptable candidate.

A successful candidate needs a two-thirds majority in any of the first three rounds of voting. From the fourth vote, which will be held on Thursday, an absolute majority will be enough.

On Wednesday, a large number of lawmakers continued to cast blank ballots. However, a growing number put down the name of the outgoing head of state, Sergio Mattarella, who has ruled out accepting a second term.