page_title: 1962 Italian presidential election
section_title: Chronology
hierarchical_section_title: 1962 Italian presidential election / Chronology
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Giuramento del nuovo Capo dello Stato Antonio Segni
context_page_description: The Italian presidential election of 1962 was held in Italy on 2–6 May 1962.
  Only members of Parliament and regional delegates were entitled to vote, most of these electors having been elected in the 1958 general election. As head of state of the Italian Republic, the President has a role of representation of national unity and guarantees that Italian politics comply with the Italian Constitution, in the framework of a parliamentary system.
  It was the first time the official candidate of the Christian Democracy party was elected President of the Italian Republic.
context_section_description: On 2 May 1962 the Italian Parliament convened in order to elect the new President of the Republic, since President Giovanni Gronchi's term was about to end. Christian Democracy leader Aldo Moro decided to endorse the candidacy of Antonio Segni, former Prime Minister and member of the conservative faction of the party. With that choice, Moro wanted to reassure the conservatives representatives of his own party, worried about a possible extreme shift on leftist stances by their party after the beginning of the Organic centre-left period in February 1962.
  Italian Communist Party decided to vote for Umberto Terracini on the first round, while Italian Socialist Party sustained Sandro Pertini. 
  After the third round communists and socialists decided to converge on the candidacy of the democratic socialist Giuseppe Saragat, who gained also the favor of some christian democrat snipers representatives. 
  After several ballots, on 6 May 1962 Antonio Segni was finally elected President with just the 51% of the votes. His election was allowed thanks to the votes of monarchist and neo-fascist representatives. It was the first time that Christian Democracy's official candidate succeeded in being elected President of the Republic.
caption: Antonio Segni taking the oath on 11 May 1962
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