Roberto Morassut, an MP for
Premier Matteo Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and
candidate in the Rome centre-left mayoral primaries, on Friday
said the PD should rid itself of "factions and sub-factions".
"The party should be more united, there's no doubt about
it," said Morassut, who has been accused of representing a
minority wing of the PD critical of Renzi.
Morassut also apologised for the case of former Rome mayor
Ignazio Marino, who resigned last year amid an expenses scandal
that led the PD to abandon him.
"It was a bad case," Morassut said.
Morassut is a former city-planning executive councillor
under Walter Veltroni, Rome mayor from 2001 to 2008.
He is expected to be the main challenger to fellow PD MP
and Lower House Deputy Speaker Roberto Giachetti, the
frontrunner who is considered close to Renzi.
Morassut has denied that he was the representative of a
left-wing minority within the PD who are hostile to many of
Renzi's reforms.
Ex-Senator Stefano Pedica and Defence Undersecretary
Domenico Rossi of the small Democratic Centre (CD) party have
also said they will run in the Rome primaries.
Stefano Fassina, the leader and Rome mayor candidate for
the small left-wing Sinistra Italiana (SI) party, has said he
cannot see enough common ground with the PD for him to run in
the primaries.
Fassina is a former junior economy minister who left the
PD last year after a series of disagreements over the policies
of Renzi's government.
Rome is currently being run by an extraordinary
commissioner, Francesco Paolo Tronca, after former PD Mayor
Ignazio Marino was forced out last year following an expenses
scandal.
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