De aici:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senators_for_life A senator for life is a member of the senate elected or appointed for lifetime. As of 2006, a few members of the Italian Senate are lifetime senators. Several South American countries abolished lifetime membership for former Presidents.
In Italy, a senatore a vita is a member of the Italian Senate appointed by the President of the Italian Republic "for outstanding patriotic merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field". Former Presidents of the Republic are ex officio life senators. A limit of five senators for life, excluding former Presidents, is established by the Italian constitution. They have the same equal power of elected senators, including the right to vote and being elected to the Presidency of the Senate. In addition, their mandate does not end with the dissolution of a Senate, allowing them to sit in any elected Senate for their whole lifetime.
Every President of the Italian Republic has made at least one appointment of a senator for life, with the exception of Oscar Luigi Scalfaro. The president who appointed the highest number of senators for life was Luigi Einaudi, who made eight nominations during his mandate.