by Angelo Amante
ROME, Aug 6 (Reuters) – The Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, which brings together green and left-wing parties, joined on Saturday the alliance formed by the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and centrist Azione in view of the legislative elections to be held next month in Italy.
“I am happy to be able to announce this agreement, which was necessary, because the electoral law punishes isolation,” PD secretary Enrico Letta told a press conference.
“The right wasted no time in forming an alliance. On the contrary, we preferred to discuss first,” he added.
Enrico Letta also announced on Saturday that the small centrist party Impegno Civico, founded by Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio after his departure last month from the 5-Star Movement (M5S), had also joined the alliance.
The PD and Azione struck an alliance on Tuesday in the hope of preventing a right-wing triumph in the September 25 legislative elections.
The alliance between the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party, Matteo Salvini’s League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party is currently credited with 45% of voting intentions in the polls.
(With contributions from Valentina Za; French version Camille Raynaud)