Francesco Cossiga, OMRI (Italian pronunciation:[franˈtʃesko kosˈsiːɡa]; July 26, 1928 – August 17, 2010) was an Italian politician of the Christian Democracy party. He was the 42nd Prime Minister of Italy from 1979 to 1980 and the eighth President of Italy from 1985 to 1992. He was also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Sassari.