Former Italian president Scalfaro dies at 93
Rome, Jan 29, 2012, (AP):
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, a past president of Italy and a founding member of the former Christian Democrats, has died. He was 93.
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano paid tribute to his predecessor as "a protagonist in the democratic political life" and called him an example of "moral integrity." Scalfaro died in Rome on Sunday. No cause of death was immediately reported.
He was Italy's ninth post-war president, a position that is largely ceremonial but serves as something of a moral compass.
As president from 1992-99, Scalfaro often was called upon to resolve the country's recurring political crises, either by choosing a new premier or calling early elections. He is survived by a daughter, Marianna.
