Italy Names New Premier

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ROME: Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro on Thursday named Antonio Maccanico, a 71-year-old, longtime government bureacrat, to be the country's next prime minister. If approved by Parliament, Maccanico will succeed Lamberto Dini, who resigned three weeks ago after tiring of government life. TIME's Greg Burke reports from Rome: "It was an accomplishment for the president to find a new prime minister without having to call for early elections. Maccanico is a real institutional man. He's been working as political bureaucrat since he was about 23. His politics are considered slightly left-of-center. He also headed Mediobanca, the country's most powerful bank. It is virtually assured that he will be approved by Parliament because Maccanico is seen as politically palatable to all sides. He is expected to put together a cabinet that reflects nearly the entire spectrum of Italian politics. His most important job will be to push election reform through Parliament. Right now, the president is elected by Parliament, not the public. He will try to build a consensus to change that."