MNI SOURCES: Italy New Left Group Ends Renzi Coalition Hope

--'Free and Equal' Movement could win up to 10% of votes

--Group Unites Anti-Renzi Dissidents On The Left

--Democrats See "No Threat" To Their Power From New Grouping

By Silvia Marchetti

     ROME (MNI) - Italy's centre-left has been further splintered by the forming

of a new political movement, weakening hopes for a broad electoral coalition for

former premier Matteo Renzi and his Democrat Party, several officials have told

Market News.

     The new 'Free and Equal' movement is formed largely of Renzi dissidents and

will stand independently of the Democrats in the general election next spring,

having no intention of allying with Renzi.

     "We don't seek an alliance. We are paving way to an alternative and

autonomous leftist project critical of all late, drastic measures taken by the

Democrats," said Stefano Fassina, a member of the new grouping.

     Fassina, a former Democrat deputy economy minister who stepped down

critical of Renzi's leadership, condemned the recent budget approval and Renzi's

failed constitutional reform referendum attempt. 

     The new grouping unites three main leftist parties and picked 40,000

signatories for its electoral program. It has the support of several mayors and

trade unions, alongside catholic and environmental lobbies. According to early

polls, the anti-Renzi group could gain up to 10 percent of votes, draining

support from the Democrats. 

     The movement's leader is current Senate president Pietro Grasso, a former

Democrat who left the party following disagreements over the the new voting

system recently passed by parliament.   Free and Equal is still a work in

progress, but support is expected to rise in the short run.

--OPPOSITION, NOT GOVERNMENT 

     Democrats, however, have downplayed that the new political project could

threaten them. 

     "Above all,  the common denominator of Free and Equal is their anti-Renzi

crusade, that's the sole goal of their political action, to get Renzi out of the

picture once and for all even if this is detrimental to of the entire

centre-left," said Lia Quartapelle, a member of the Democrat party directorate. 

     In her view, voters will realise it is a "mere opposition party, not a

potential government". 

     According to Democrat Giampaolo Galli, member of the Lower House budget

committee, the new formation is "totally off-the-wall, it's crazy". 

     With the new proportional voting system across single member districts,

Renzi's enemies prefer "to help the populists and the anti-establishment 5 Star

Movement win by making the Democrats lose," he said.

     Under pressure from party allies, Renzi had left the door open to the

dissidents in the hope of forming a broad centre-left coalition. Under the new

voting system, no party has a clear run at a government together without a

coalition -- and Renzi's hopes of healing past wounds and moving forward appear

lost. 

     Andrea De Maria, a Democrat who supported an alliance with the dissidents,

said it was now clear they had "chosen the path of rupture and must take on all

responsibility for the centre-left division", likely to have severe

consequences. 

     A party to the left of the Democrats could end up helping a coalition of

the centre-right  and populists into power, he warned. But, De Maria said,

despite these divisions the Democrat Party remains the left's best option for

government.

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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