Editing Emilio Colombo (section)

==Later life==
In 2003, then president [[Carlo Azeglio Ciampi]] bestowed Italy's highest political honour on him by nominating him senator for life.<ref name=lgdm25jun/> In the first five years as a lifetime senator, he was an [[independent politician]]. From 2008 until his death in June 2013, Colombo was a member of the [[For the Autonomies]] group, formed mainly by elects in [[Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol]]. After the inconclusive [[2013 Italian general election|2023 Italian general election]] and the following difficulties of the [[Senate of the Republic (Italy)|Senate of the Republic]] in electing a presiding officer, Colombo became its provisional president until the election of [[Pietro Grasso]] on 16 March 2013. The oldest senator, former prime minister [[Giulio Andreotti]] was due to inaugurate the new legislature but his unavailability benefited Colombo. After the death of Andreotti on 6 May 2013, Colombo became the last surviving member of the [[Italian Constituent Assembly]].<ref name="lgdm25jun">{{cite news|title=Senator-for-life, framer of Italian Constitution, dies at 94|url=http://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/english/president-pays-respects-to-ex-premier-emilio-colombo-no631284|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628033823/http://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/english/president-pays-respects-to-ex-premier-emilio-colombo-no631284|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 June 2013|access-date=26 June 2013|newspaper=La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno|date=25 June 2013|agency=ANSA|location=Rome}}</ref>