Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI (Born in Livorno on 9 December 1920)
Elected President of the Italian Republic on 13 May 1999 with 707 votes at the first ballot; on 18 May 1999 he swore the oath of allegiance to the Republic and to the Constitution before Parliament in joint session.

From 1993 to 1994 he was President of the Council of Ministers. From 18 May 1996 to October 1998 he served as Minister of the Treasury and Minister of the Budget and Economic Planning in the Prodi Cabinet and, from October 1998, in the D'Alema Cabinet.

Arts degree and Diploma of the Scuola Normale of Pisa (1941). Law degree at Pisa University (1946). Hired by the Bank of Italy in 1946, he served in a number of branch offices with administrative and supervisory functions. In June 1960 he moved to the Bank of Italy's Research Department, of which he became Director on 1 July 1970. He was appointed Secretary General in July 1973, Deputy Director General in July 1976 and Director General in 1978.

From October 1979 to April 1993 he was Governor of the Bank of Italy and President of the Ufficio Italiano Cambi, holding also the positions related thereto at the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Group of Seven, the Bank for International Settlements. Chairman of the Committee of EEC Governors in 1982 and 1987.

From 1994 to 1996 he served as Vice-President of the BIS. From 1995 to 1996 he was Chairman of the Consultative Group on Competitiveness within the European Commission, as well as President of the "Luigi Einaudi" Institute for monetary, banking and financial studies. He was Chairman of the IMF Interim Committee from October 1998 to May 1999. From 1996 to 1999 he was President of the International Venice University and Member of the Board of the Treccani Encyclopedia Institute.

From 1993: honorary Governor of the Bank of Italy.

He received the following honorary degrees: Political Science (Macerata University); Economics (Pavia University); Law (St. John's University); post-graduate diploma in Economic History ( Pisa - Scuola Normale).

He was conferred the following honours: Knight of the Grand Cross of the Italian Republic (1982); Grand Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany (1986); Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur (1985); Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan); Honorary citizenship of Naples (1995); Gra Cruz of the National Order do Cruzeiro do Sul.