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ROME (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta announced on Friday he would seek the leadership of the troubled centre-left Democratic Party (PD), seven years after he was ousted from power in a party coup.
FILE PHOTO: Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta gestures during a news conference at Chigi Palace in Rome, February 12, 2014. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/
The PD, one of the largest groups supporting Mario Draghi’s unity government, was thrown into turmoil last week when its leader Nicola Zingaretti quit, saying he was “ashamed” of internal wrangling over key positions.
His abrupt walkout has triggered a PD slump in the polls and many party stalwarts have turned to Letta, who has been living in Paris in recent years, asking if he would return to Italy and try to revive the centre-left’s fortunes.