The Italian parliament has elected constitutional court judge, Sergio Mattarella, as the country's new president, Press TV reported.
On Friday, the Italian lawmakers elected the 73-year-old as president in the fourth round of voting.
In the first three rounds of voting over the past two days, Mattarella failed to acquire the necessary two-thirds majority. However, he managed to garner 665 votes from the 1,009 electors in the final round.
Mattarella had been nominated by the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. His nomination sparked fury among the parties in the Italian coalition government who accused Renzi of imposing his choice on them.
The candidate also faced opposition from the lawmakers from the center-right party of Italy's former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who protested that they had not been consulted on the nomination.
Mattarella has become Italy's 12th president since World War II and succeeds Giorgio Napolitano, 89, who resigned two weeks ago due to "signs of fatigue."
Mattarella has already served as Italy's deputy prime minister, education and defense minister and joined the Democratic Party in the early 2000s.
In 1980, his brother was killed by the mafia while holding the position of governor of Sicily.
The presidential position is mostly a ceremonial role in Italy as the prime minister is in charge of the government. However, the Italian constitution grants the president the power to choose the prime minister, dissolve the parliament and call snap elections at times of crisis.