Let both parts survive, AP asks founders (3)

(ANSA) - Rome, December 11 - The executive of Popular Alernative (AP) on Monday asked its founders Beatrice Lorenzin, Fabrizio Cicchitto and Maurizio Lupi, as well as deputy coordinator Antonio Gentile, to find a way for both parts of the centrist party "to survive". One part looks to continue the alliance with the ruling centre-left Democratic Party (PD) while the other is looking to run alone at next year's general election and to dialogue with ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia party. The AP executive adjourned until tomorrow at 18:00.
    Last week AP leader Angelino Alfano, the foreign minister, said he would not be standing at the next general election.
    He said he was retiring from office, but not from politics, because of a string of strong personal attacks on him.
    AP was founded in March as a merger of Alfano's New Centre Right, the UDC and other small centrist parties.
    Alfano, once Berlusconi's heir apparent, formed the New Centre Right in November 2013 in a split from the then People fo Freedom (PdL) party which was set to return to be called Forza Italia, after the party with which Berlusconi won his first election in 1994.