Italian President Giorgio Napolitano is preparing to say farewell.<br /><br /> After two terms in office, the 89-year-old head of state will officially stand down on January 14, at the end of Italy’s six-month presidency of the European Union. <br /><br /> Prime Minister Matteo Renzi made the announcement in the European Parliament.<br /><br /> “I would like to thank Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Republic and committed Europhile, who will in fact leave his post very soon,” he said.<br /><br /> Italy now faces the challenge of replacing him. <br /><br /> While the president has little influence over day-to-day politics, he holds what has become the crucial power to choose a prime minister and dissolve parliament.
