He succeeded Scalfaro as President of Italy in the1999 Italian presidential election, and held the office for seven years until his resignation in May 2006. His broad, unifying rhetoric and non–interventionist role ashead of state meant he retained the role's largely ceremonial powers. However, his relationship with Berlusconi in the latter'ssecond andthird governments was often strained, publicly opposing Italian military involvement in theIraq War in 2003 and opposing Berlusconi regarding the resignation ofMinister of Foreign AffairsRenato Ruggiero in 2002. He enjoyed high approval ratings by the Italian public throughout his presidency and was well regarded in Italian politics, but chose not to run for re–election in2006, and was succeeded byGiorgio Napolitano, whose interventionist approach shifted the role of the Presidency.
Following his resignation, he served asSenator until his death in 2016 at the age of 95, being the only living former Italian President and the oldest head of state from Europe and the second oldest in the world.
In 1960, he was called to work in the central administration of theBank of Italy, where he became Secretary General in 1973, Vice Director General in 1976, and Director General in 1978. In October 1979, he was nominated Governor of the Bank of Italy and President of the national Bureau de Change, positions he filled until 1993.
Ciampi was the first non-parliamentarian prime minister of Italy in more than 100 years.[6] From April 1993 to May 1994 he oversaw atechnical government. Later, as treasury minister from 1996 to May 1999 in the governments ofRomano Prodi andMassimo D'Alema, he was credited with adopting the euro currency. He chose the Italian design for the 1-euro coin, whereas all others were left to a television vote among some candidates the ministry had prepared.[citation needed] Ciampi chose theVitruvian Man ofLeonardo da Vinci,[7] on the symbolic grounds that it represented man as a measure of all things, and in particular of the coin: in this perspective, money was at the service of man, instead of its opposite. The design also fitted very well on thebimetallic material of the coin.[citation needed]
Ciampi meets U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush at the Quirinale Palace, 7 April 2005
Ciampi was elected with a broad majority, and was the second president ever to be elected at the first ballot (when there is a requirement of a two-thirds majority) in a joint session of theChamber of Deputies, theItalian Senate and representatives of the Regions. He usually refrained from intervening directly in the political debate while serving as president. He often addressed general issues, without mentioning their connection to the current political debate, in order to state his opinion without being too intrusive. His interventions frequently stressed the need for all parties to respect the Constitution and observe the proprieties of political debate. He was generally held in high regard by all political forces represented in the parliament.
The possibility of persuading Ciampi to stand for a second term as president by theelection 2006 – the so-calledCiampi-bis – was widely discussed, despite his advancing age, but it was officially dismissed by Ciampi himself on 3 May 2006: "None of the past nine presidents of the Republic has been re-elected. I think this has become a meaningful rule. It is better not to infringe it". Ciampi, whose mandate was due to expire on the 18th, resigned on the 15th. His successor,Giorgio Napolitano, took the oath on the same day.
As head of state of the host country, he officially declared the2006 Winter Olympics open on 10 February 2006. As president, Ciampi was not considered to be close to the positions of theVatican and the Catholic Church, in a sort of alternate after the devoutOscar Luigi Scalfaro. He often praised patriotism, not always a common feeling because of its abuse by theItalian Fascist regime.
2001: Grand Cross of theGrand Order of King Tomislav ("For outstanding contribution to the promotion of friendship and development co-operation between the Republic of Croatia and the Italian Republic." – Croatia, 19 October 2001)
^Slovak republic website,State honoursArchived 13 April 2016 at theWayback Machine: 1st Class in 2002 (click on "Holders of the Order of the 1st Class White Double Cross" to see the holders' table)
