by Ayfer Selamoğlu

I was started my first comment on the presidential election process by telling the legend of “King Arthur, the leader of the Knights of the Round Table, and the sword of Excalibur”, which I love. As we all know, the country is about to enter into turmoil with the death of the British king Uther Pendragon. No replacement was found. The wizard Merlin holds a meeting with the nobles to determine the new king. And suddenly a sword appears on one of the stones of the churchyard. The inscription on the stone reads: “Whoever draws this sword will be the legitimate king of Britain”. Many knights try to pull out the sword but fail. But the important thing is not to acquire the sword, but to know how to use it correctly. This is where the magician Merlin comes into play again. With the philosophy “Knowledge and wisdom are the greatest power”, He takes Arthur, whom he knows as a special person, through all training stages. guides him, teaches him to use his mind. And in the end, well-trained, knowledgeable, wise Arthur pulls the sword that no one can pull out of the stone and becomes king…

Italy, like all countries, is going through difficult times due to the economic difficulties brought by the Corona epidemic and the tensions in international relations. In just such a period, the term of office of 12th President Sergio Mattarella was ending on February 2, 2022. The President has stated that he does not want to be a candidate again. As his successor, the name of Prime Minister Mario Draghi came up. However, due to his international career, successful European Union relations, and stable management of the multi-part government during such a difficult time, this formula was not in high demand. Adding to this the realities of a new government crisis and early election process if Draghi moves from Palazza Chigi to Quirinale, this formula was completely out of the equation. Both in the international arena and in the country, his views of staying as the ‘captain of the ship’ in Palazzo Chigi caused the name Draghi to be born dead from the beginning. As a matter of fact, these views were also reflected in the voting. The majority wanted Draghi to stay. When the candidate of the Centre-Right Alliance, Silvio Berlusconi, also withdrew from the candidacy, the knights, all of whom were very valuable, tried to draw the sword stuck in the heart of the parliament one by one. But none of them were given the ‘support umbrella’ drawn by the coalition government by consensus. And in the end, despite not being a candidate, the name Sergio Mattarella, who maintains his steady rise and first place in every vote, who is loved by the people, who is respected, knowledgeable and wise, but most of all, a unifying name in this difficult process, drew the sword…

Everyone knows that Italian politics always presents unexpected surprises. But it wouldn’t be a surprise if a well-equipped candidate skillfully drew the magic sword from the heart of Italy, and gathered all parties like the legendary King Arthur and his knights at the “table of interests of the country”.  Again, it was!

We can say that the re-election of Sergio Mattarella, the symbol of stability and wisdom, in a country that is about to enter chaos, brought a sigh of relief to everyone. Now is the time to gather around the round table like the legendary King Arthur and his famous knights. Because time does not make it necessary to fight and waste time with empty arguments, but to be united inside and outside, and to take wise steps…