Italy tried to speed up the process of electing a new president after days of deadlock that had put a damper to the process of electing Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government.
Four rounds of voting since Monday have failed to produce a winner, with most lawmakers casting blank ballots or abstaining due to lack of agreement between the parties.
The fifth round went ahead as planned at 11: 00 am 1000 GMT, but political leaders agreed to add another at 5: 00 pm and then two a day for as long as needed.
Due to the coronavirus restrictions, parliament had originally scheduled only one round of voting per day.
The presidential vote, which has its secret ballots and back-room deals, is often compared to a papal conclave - risks that have deepened the divides within the national unity government that has led the eurozone's third-largest economy for 11 months.
On Friday, the right-wing bloc in parliament, including Matteo Salvini's League Party and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, finally put forward a candidate, Senate President Elisabetta Casellati.
As a Berlusconi loyalist, she is a controversial and unlikely to get the required majority of votes, because she is known for her opposition to abortion and same-sex unions.
Former premier Berlusconi, who abandoned his unlikely candidacy at the weekend but has since been in hospital, vouched for her absolute suitability and appealed to parliamentarians on all sides to support Casellati, the 85-year-old said in a statement.
The Democratic Party and the populist Five Star Movement decried a serious error of choice and boycotted the morning vote.
Five Star leader and former premier Giuseppe Conte said that the solution is an impartial name that everyone agrees on.
Draghi, a former European Central Bank chief who was brought in to lead the government almost a year ago, is in the running to be elected the new head of state.
There is widespread concern that his departure as prime minister could destabilise the government at a critical time and even spark snap elections - something few parties want.
As the political backdrop becomes more toxic, the main beneficiary could be either Mario Draghi or outgoing President Sergio Mattarella, or Wolfango Piccoli of the Teneo consultancy.
Mattarella, 80, secured the largest number of votes in Thursday's round of voting despite repeatedly saying he will not renew his seven-year term.
Italy is recovering from a 2020 pandemic-induced recession but is banking on 200 billion euro $222 billion in EU funds to cement the trend.
This money is in turn dependent on a tight timetable of reforms - notably to the tax and justice systems and public administration - that many fear will be derailed without Draghi's hand on the tiller.
There are fears that the coalition's fractures caused by the presidential vote - already showing as parties gear up for elections in 2023 - will prove irreparable.
The president is a ceremonial figure but has great power during political crises - frequent events in Italy, which has had dozens of different governments since World War II.
The vote for the presidency is carried out in parliament by more than 1,000 MPs, senators and regional representatives.