Prodi underestimates Renzi uncooperativeness-Boldrini

(ANSA) - Rome, January 31 - Lower House Speaker Laura Boldrini said Wednesday that she was sorry former European Commission president and twice centre-left Italian premier Romano Prodi has said he will vote for Matteo Renzi's Democratic Party (PD) in the March 4 general election rather than her leftwing Free and Equal (LeU) group. "I'm sorry that Prodi made these observations, underestimating Renzi's unwillingness to make coalitions," Boldrini told Radio Anch'Io. "He didn't want to find common ground, effectively ending any possibility of an alliance. "I think Prodi underestimated Renzi's feeling of self-sufficiency and his unwillingness to build a coalition by coming towards the demands of the ally".
    The LeU is led by Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso and features many former PD members who left the party due to hostility towards its leader, such as ex-premier Massimo D'Alema.
    The two parties are running separately in the general election after failing to reach an alliance pact.
    "Free and Equal is not for the unity of the centre left, full stop," Prodi told Affaritaliani.it.
    "Renzi, the group around him, the PD and those who did deals with the PD are for the unity of the centre left."