Of course, the head of state – whether the president or the monarch – has other critical duties as well, including acting as guarantor of the constitution and a symbol of national unity. Moreover, in proportional voting systems like Italy’s, where no single political party normally wins a majority of seats in parliament, the president often plays a key role in appointing the prime minister.
当然，国家首脑——不管是总统还是君主——都有其他关键职责，包括作为先发捍卫者和国家统一的象征等。此外，在意大利等国家的比例选举制度（proportional voting system）中，通常无法产生单一的议会多数政党，总统往往需要行使任命总理的重要职责。意大利总理还可以强制要求议会二号人物重新考虑他们的决定（在英国，国王将这一权力外包给了上议院）。