Matteo Renzi

Former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi told CNN that while he opposes Giorgia Meloni politically and considers her a rival, she poses no threat to democracy. 'The idea there is a risk of fascism in Italy is absolutely fake news,' he said. His comments stand out because Renzi sits on the political left, yet he publicly pushed back against claims that Meloni's government endangers Italian democracy.

Giuseppe Conte says he is willing to help identify a third candidate to lead the centre-left, but claims his proposal was rejected. Matteo Renzi, meanwhile, has opened the door to supporting Conte, saying he would back him if he wins a primary contest. The exchanges underline ongoing jockeying over leadership of Italy's centre-left ahead of coming political tests.

Discussion over Italy's primary elections continues. Democratic Party figure Andrea Bettini has called the primaries "unnatural" but said they must go ahead, clarified he is not backing Giuseppe Conte, and rejected calls to impose vetoes on Matteo Renzi. His remarks capture internal tensions on the Italian left over alliances and candidate selection ahead of the vote.