Ex-premier Matteo Renzi on Wednesday
denied saying he would quit if he lost the Democratic Party (PD)
leadership race and said "I have not given up and I will never
give up".
Earlier newsweekly Panorama had reported that Renzi said "if
I lose this time I will go for good" in an interview to be
published tomorrow.
Renzi said "with all the friendship for (journalist) Andrea
Marcenaro, I never said what Panorama reported."
He said "I never said it and this time I never even thought
it".
Panorama earlier quoted Renzi as saying that if he fails in
his PD leadership bid "it seems evident that this time I will go
for good".
Marcenaro later confirmed the content of the interview which
had been disputed by Renzi.
"With all friendship for Renzi, I fully quoted the remarks;
'This time I will return to politics only with votes'," and,
when asked "So no political commitment without votes?', 'I think
that is evident'".
"I don't see where the news is, or the scandal," said
Marcenaro.
In the interview, Renzi also hailed the fact that he had left
the political scene after a resounding defeat in a December 4
referendum, "restarting from scratch: no office, no role other
than the confidence in me".
Renzi is by far the front-runner in the PD leadership race,
ahead of Justice Minister Andrea Orlando.
He quit as premier following the defeat in a Constitutional
reform referendum, and as PD leader to trigger the process of
re-election.
The new leader will be announced at the start of May.
Puglia Governor Michele Emiliano is lagging far behind in
third place.
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