Calenda's Azione to support centre right in Basilicata

(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 18 - Former industry minister Carlo Calenda's Azione party, which is in the opposition at the national level, said Monday that it would support the centre-right candidate, incumbent Governor Vito Bardi, in the regional elections that will be held in Basilicata on April 21 and 22.
    The decision highlights the difficulties Italy's opposition parties are experiencing with efforts to try to find unity to put up a challenge to the right/centre-right alliance made up of Premier Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, Transport Minister Matteo Salvini's League and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's Forza Italia (FI).
    Several commentators, such as ex-premier and former European Commission president Romano Prodi, have said that the only way to beat the Meloni-led alliance is for all the opposition parties to form a broad coalition featuring the 5-Star Movement (M5S), the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and centrist groups like Azione.
    But so far such efforts have had limited success.
    Local Azione officials said the decision to back Bardi came after the actions of the PD and M5S showed that they wanted to keep their party out of the reformist coalition in the southern region, amid turmoil within the centre-left regarding its candidate.
    The PD, M5S and the Green-Left Alliance (AVS) said Sunday that its candidate would be Piero Marrese, the president of the province of Matera, after their former candidate, Domenico Lacerenza, pulled out. (ANSA).