Editing Romano Prodi (section)

===2013 presidential candidate===
Prodi was drafted by [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]] parliamentarians to be [[President of Italy]] during the [[2013 Italian presidential election|2013 presidential election]] after Democratic Party–[[The People of Freedom|People of Freedom]] compromise candidate [[Franco Marini]] failed to receive sufficient votes on the first ballot.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} During the first three rounds of voting, few people cast ballots for Prodi (14 on the first ballot, 13 on the second and 22 on the third).{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

On 16 April 2013, just a few days prior to the fourth ballot, Prodi gave a ''lectio magistralis'' at the [[Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas|Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, ''Angelicum'']] entitled "I grandi cambiamenti della politica e dell'economia mondiale: c'è un posto per l'Europa?" ("The Great Changes in Politics and the World Economy: Is there Room for Europe?). Prodi was sponsored by the ''Angelicum'' and the Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi<ref>[[:it:Università degli Studi "Guglielmo Marconi"]] Accessed 17, 2013</ref> on behalf of the Political Science program "Scienze Politiche e del Buon Governo."<ref>[http://angelicumnewsletterblog.blogspot.com/ Angelicum Newsletter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321072053/http://angelicumnewsletterblog.blogspot.com/|date=21 March 2015}}  Accessed 17 April</ref>

A few days later, on 19 April, starting on the fourth ballot, Prodi was looked at seriously as a possible candidate. However, Prodi announced he was pulling out of the presidential race after more than 100 centre-left electors did not vote for him as he received only 395 (of 504 votes needed to be elected). After this vote, [[Pier Luigi Bersani]], leader of the centre-left Democratic Party, announced his resignation as the party's secretary.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-vote-idUSBRE93I08I20130419 Italy centre-left leader Bersani quits after vote debacle] ''Reuters.'' 19 April 2013. Accessed 20 April 2013</ref> As of September 2020, he is a member of the Italian [[Aspen Institute]].<ref>[https://www.aspeninstitute.it/istituto/comunita-aspen/comitato-esecutivo executive Committee] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009043826/https://www.aspeninstitute.it/istituto/comunita-aspen/comitato-esecutivo |date=9 October 2010 }}, aspeninstitute.it/</ref>