Italy's first ex-communist head of state takes office today as incoming Prime Minister Romano Prodi puts the finishing touches on his coalition government to end more than a month of political limbo.
Newly elected Italian President Giorgio Napolitano
Newly elected President Giorgio Napolitano (80) will be sworn in at 5pm (4pm Irish time) and is expected to ask Mr Prodi to form a government by Wednesday, five weeks after the centre-left leader won one of the tightest elections in Italian history.
Mr Prodi spent the weekend in delicate talks with his "Union" coalition, juggling the parties' conflicting demands for cabinet seats to find a team capable of remaining united in the face of an aggressive opposition led by Silvio Berlusconi.
"I think we have an agreement with no problems, including on the deputy prime ministers," Mr Prodi told reporters yesterday.
But many of his allies said inter-party squabbling was making Mr Prodi's job of picking a cabinet difficult.