Roberto Morassut, an MP for
Premier Matteo Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), on
Monday launched his campaign for the primaries to select the
centre-left's candidate to be the next mayor of Rome.
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 denied that he was the representative of a
left-wing minority within the PD who are hostile to many of
Renzi's reforms.
"I'm not the candidate of the minority," Morassut said as
he launched his bid in the Primavalle suburb of the capital.
"I'm a man of the left, of the Roman left and I have
supported all the innovative choices the left has made over the
last 20 years, right up to supporting Matteo Renzi.
"I won't be a No man. I hope to be able to contribute to
do something for this city, no matter how things go".
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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