The figures included the former president of Italy's Constitutional Court, Valerio Onida, the head of national statistics institute Istat Enrico Giovannini, as well as leading politicians belonging to the main forces in parliament.

　　Giovanni Pitruzzella, the chairman of Italy's Competition Authority, Salvatore Rossi, a member of the Central Bank's governing board, and Enzo Moavero Milanesi, Minister for European Affairs of the outgoing technocratic government of Prime Minister Mario Monti, were also among what observers called "the facilitators."

　　Napolitano's decision came following intensive but fruitless meetings with parties on Friday to try to reach consensus after Pier Luigi Bersani, whose center-left coalition was the most voted in the Feb 24-25 general elections, failed to persuade the other forces to support a center-left led government.

　　Earlier on Saturday, Napolitano said two groups with "political-institutional and socio-economic" nature would start working Tuesday on a sort of programmatic report while helping him find consensus on a new government.

　　The 87-year-old president clarified he would remain in office until his term expires on May 15, ruling out speculations of early resignation that would allow his successor to call for fresh general voting, as Italy's president is not allowed to dissolve parliament in the final months of his mandate.

　　He said Monti's cabinet would stay in office until "more favorable conditions" were created to "unblock a stiff situation." In this lapse of time, the selected wisemen would help proposing and making measures approved by parliament to tackle deepening recession and rising unemployment.

　　According to observers, the 10 persons will provide a platform for changing a much-criticized voting law to achieve a working majority in next parliamentary elections and promoting economic growth.

　　The Feb 24-25 general elections produced a hung parliament divided among the center-left led by former industry minister Pier Luigi Bersani, the center-right of former premier Silvio Berlusconi and the new anti-establishment Five-Star Movement (M5S) of blogger Beppe Grillo.

　　None of these three mutually incompatible blocs were strong enough to govern alone without solid majority in Senate.