Italy's center-right parties launch coalition ahead of 2018 vote

ROME, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Center-right parties in Italy agreed to forge a coalition ahead of general elections scheduled on March 4, according to political sources and media on Monday.

The electoral bloc would comprise Forza Italia (FI) party of former premier and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, anti-immigration Northern League, and minor right-wing Fratelli d'Italia (FdI) party, Ansa news agency reported.

The deal was announced by FI in a statement late on Sunday, after the leaders of the forces involved held talks at Berlusconi's residence in Arcore near Milan.

The center-right coalition is currently leading in opinion polls, and would be worth about 35 percent of the vote.

Under a new electoral law approved last year -- favoring coalitions instead of single parties -- about 40 percent of votes would be necessary to govern, although no majority premium was due to be allocated to the winning side.

Berlusconi, 81, is barred from public office after a definite conviction for tax fraud in 2013. Yet, he would nonetheless play a crucial role for center-right forces in the campaign, and, within the alliance, his FI party was expected to gain the largest share of seats in parliament.

None of the biggest parties are seen as strong enough to govern alone in Italy. Opinion polls led by SWG Institute and Index Research in mid-December showed anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) was the most popular single party with about 26 percent.

Center-left Democratic Party (PD) -- which ruled the cabinets in the latest legislature -- followed with about 25 percent of the votes, while Forza Italia (FI) gathered about 15 percent. Enditem