>>>ANSA/Right's victory not foregone conclusion says Letta

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 2 - Democratic Party (PD) leader Enrico Letta said Friday that the victory of the right/centre-right coalition in Italy's September 25 general election was far from a foregone conclusion.
    "We have three weeks ahead of us, 40% of voters are undecided," the centre-left chief commented after League leader Matteo Salvini said the PD knew it was set to lose.
    "Young people have not yet decided who to vote for.
    "Everything is still to play for in this match".
    Opinion polls suggest that the right/centre-right coalition is set for a landslide victory.
    Although the PD is second to Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party in the polls, with the support of around 22-23% of voters, compared to 24% for FdI, when the likely votes of the whole coalitions are put together, the right/centre-right has a massive lead.
    The centre-right alliance is currently some 19% ahead of the centre-left bloc, meaning it is just three percentage points away from getting the two thirds majority it needs to pass Constitutional amendments without a referendum, according to a YouTrend simulation released this week.
    The right's chances have been boosted by the failure of the other parties to form a united front against it.
    The PD refused to ally with the 5-Star Movement (M5S) after it sparked the crisis of government that caused the collapse of the coalition supporting outgoing Premier Mario Draghi.
    The centrist 'third pole' of Azione-Italia VIva is also running separately from the big blocs.
    The right/centre-right has agreed that the leader of the party that gets most votes will have the right to choose the premier nominee that the bloc will put to President Sergio Mattarella if it wins the election.
    That seems to put Meloni in a strong position to become Italy's first woman premier.
    The prospect of the leader of a right-wing party becoming Italy's next premier has sparked concern in some quarters.
    But the 45-year-old Roman has taken pains to stress that Italy would remain a reliable and fully committed member of NATO and the EU and would not adopt reckless budget policies with a government led by FdI Melon's party was the only major group not to back outgoing Premier Mario Draghi's national unity government. (ANSA).