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Italian Presidents constitutionally do not succeed themselves; until his death last month, Aldo Moro was considered Leone's likely successor. Senate President Amintore Fanfani, a three-time Premier and unsuccessful presidential candidate in 1971, automatically assumed the post pro tempore, and the maneuvering will begin again.
Before the balloting starts at month's end, Christian Democrats must decide whether to fight for the post themselves or follow a custom in which the presidency alternates between a Christian Democrat and a representative of another party. If the governing party goes for it, Party Secretary Benigno Zaccagnini and Andreotti will be the most probable candidates. Socialist Francesco de Martino is a non-Christian Democratic possibility, since he is well known and respected by other parties. So is Ugo La Malfa, longtime leader of the smaller Republican Party.
The President, as head of state, has a largely ceremonial job; the Premier is head of government. Still, Leone's resignation produced political confusion, partly because there was no precedent for it, but also partly because the Christian Democrat-Communist relationship is so fragile.
In addition, Leone's decision came only eleven days before the onset of the "white semester," the final six months of a President's term, when he is constitutionally barred from dissolving parliament and calling an early general election. Leone's successor will not be bound by the white semester rule; meanwhile, there is also a tradition that Italian governments resign when a new President takes office, allowing him the option of re-appointing the old government or of calling for a new one. Political observers wondered last week whether, in a situation so unusual, Premier Andreotti's government could survive.
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The presidential resignation was not the only crisis confronting Italian televiewers last week. It also appeared for a time that hundreds of thousands of Romans might not see the World Cup soccer match between Italy and West Germany. A few hours before the match was to begin in Argentina, terrorists—presumably the Red Brigades again—blew up a power station that provides electricity for much of Rome. Working feverishly, technicians restored the power just in time for Romans to watch their national team play to a draw.
*Le Rughe means "wrinkles," from the land contours on which the house was built. Inevitably, that led Roman political observers to dub the scandal "Wrinklegate."