A draft obtained by Reuters of the two parties' joint programme intended to be the basis of a coalition government said Alitalia needs to be "relaunched" and that Italy must maintain a "competitive national carrier."

Asked by Reuters if this meant that the parties' plan was that Alitalia should no longer be sold, Borghi replied: "Yes."

The former centre-left government has been seeking a buyer for Alitalia for the last year, but the sale process was delayed as a result of uncertainty over the March 4 election, which ended in a hung parliament.

(Reporting By Gavin Jones; editing by Steve Scherer)