'Final break-up in Liguria' says Renzi ahead of vote

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 28 - The leader of Italia Viva (IV), former premier Matteo Renzi, on Saturday said the party was out of the electoral campaign in Liguria, where a broad centre-left coalition including IV was supposed to back Andrea Orlando, a leading member of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), as candidate to govern the Liguria region.
    "It is a final breakup in Liguria, we are out of the electoral campaign", Renzi told an Italia Viva party assembly after Giuseppe Conte, leader of the populist Five-Star Movement (M5S) expressed his opposition to IV being part of the coalition including PD, the Green-Left Alliance (AVS), Azione and M5S.
    "We are available to create a centre-left that is an alternative to (Prime Minister Giorgia) Meloni, but not with a hat in our hand", said Renzi.
    "We are open to dialogue, but not to let Conte decide", Renzi also said, adding that, with the move, the M5S leader "wants to question" the leadership of PD head Elly Schlein, a promoter of the broad centre-left coalition.
    Liguria's election, after Giovanni Toti stepped down as governor following an arrest on corruption charges, are scheduled to be held on October 27-28. (ANSA).