Italy's Democratic party fracture as contenders vie for power Italy's left-right coalition government is barely four weeks old and already deep divisions are surfacing within the centre-left Democrats, undermining Enrico Letta as prime minister and raising questions over the party's future unity. Although few care to predict how long Italy's political experiment will survive, the fragmentation of the Democratic party is taking shape as contenders for power prepare for the next main election battle. Local elections this weekend across much of Italy will give a first indication of voters" reaction to the Democrats" agreement to share power at a national level with old rival Silvio Berlusconi as a way out of the deadlock resulting from inconclusive parliamentary elections in February. "Enrico Letta's appointment as Italian prime minister brings a fresh perspective to the Italian political scene," said Heather Conley, analyst at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies. He is young, pro-European and well versed in the economic issues that currently plague the country's economy. However, the optimism that normally surrounds such a promising leader is marred by the unstable political ground on which his coalition stands, most notably the split within his centre-left party and the re-emergence of Silvio Berlusconi. Manoeuvring ahead of a Democratic party congress to choose a new leadership, likely to take place in October, is also focusing minds on the next general election. While the party's splintering is a direct consequence of its failure to win the February election outright and its unpopular alliance with Mr Berlusconi's centre-right People of Liberty party, the root of the Democrats" problems lies in its confused response to Italy's long economic decline accompanied by growing anger at the political elite. Pier Luigi Bersani quit as party leader in April after the Democrats imploded over parliament's choice of the next head of state and his failure to persuade the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, now Italy's second-largest political force, to share power. This paved the way for Mr Letta, then his deputy, to be sworn in as prime minister, with Angelino Alfano, deputy to Mr Berlusconi, as number two. The Democrats then appointed Guglielmo Epifani, former head of the leftwing CGIL trade union federation, to try to heal party wounds ahead of its next congress. "One does not know if the ferryman Epifani will be able to avoid the risk of schism," Corriere della Sera, a daily newspaper, commented, noting that some Democrats appeared bent on embracing the Five Star Movement led by comic-activist Beppe Grillo. Matteo Renzi, the 38-year-old reformist mayor of Florence, who has not given up since losing a leadership battle to Mr Bersani last year, disclosed on Monday he would not run as party secretary but kept open the option of standing as the Democrats" candidate for prime minister in the next elections. Mr Renzi backs Mr Letta's coalition but he sharply criticised a decision to cancel a housing tax due in June, calling it a "bill of payment" made to Mr Berlusconi who campaigned heavily on the issue. One does not know if the ferryman Epifani will be able to avoid the risk of schism Corriere della Sera Mr Letta's authority is also jeopardised by moves in parliament to declare Mr Berlusconi ineligible to remain as senator because of conflict of interest over his media empire ownership. The Five Star Movement is proposing such a motion with the clear intention of splitting the centre-left. Luigi Zanda, leader of the Democrats in the senate, has declared he is in favour. Mr Berlusconi accused the Democrats of trying to "eliminate" him. Speaking on television on Tuesday night, the former prime minister urged the Democrats to keep backing their coalition which he called "an extraordinary opportunity to end this cold and civil war which has lasted so long." On the left, Mr Letta is also under attack from the new Occupy movement driven by young party activists and supported by parliamentarians, including 37-year-old Pippo Civati. "I have no idea where we may end up with this government," Mr Civati commented, calling for more "egalitarianism" as well as "liberal" measures to combat recession while accusing party leaders of failing to understand its social impact. Opinion polls show the Democrats and the Five Star Movement losing ground and being overtaken by the centre right, fuelling speculation over how long Mr Berlusconi will support the government. The risk that the former prime minister's court cases could result in verdicts barring him from public office might also tempt him to force early elections. Former technocrat prime minister Mario Monti, whose Civic Choice party has two ministers in the new government, has given it at least six months" life. Time was needed to pass institutional and electoral reforms before returning to the polls, he told reporters in Singapore on Tuesday. Additional reporting by Jeremy Grant in Singapore