Giorgio Napolitano, ex-communist who became president of Italy, dies aged 98

Party reformer was first former communist to become president and first person re-elected to post

Giorgio Napolitano, the first former communist to rise to Italy’s presidency and the first person to be elected twice to the post, has died aged 98.

A statement issued on Friday night by the presidential palace confirmed Italian news reports of the death of Napolitano, who had been ailing in a Rome hospital for weeks.