Italy selects leadership for two houses of parliament

Rome, Oct 15 Lorenzo Fontana, a two-time Minister from a party likely to be a junior member of the next Italian government coalition, was selected as Speaker of the lower house of Italy's parliament.

Fontana's selection as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies on Friday followed the selection of Ignazio La Russa on Thursday as President of the Senate, the upper house of parliament.

Fontana, 42-year-old, received 222 votes, 25 more than he needed to be confirmed in the fourth round of voting, Xinhua news agency reported.

Fontana is a former European Affairs Minister and a former Minister of Family and Disabilities. He is a member of the League, which won 8.8 per cent of the vote for the Chamber of Deputies in Italy's general election on September 25. That result is enough to make the League a junior partner in a likely Italian government to be led by the Brothers of Italy.

The 75-year-old La Russa, meanwhile, is a member of the Brothers of Italy. He is a former Italian Defence Minister. He won with 116 votes, 12 more than needed.