Italy's centre-right says will abstain in Thursday's presidential vote

Italy's centre-right parties will abstain in Thursday's presidential election but plan on backing a candidate with a "high institutional value" in future ballots, the bloc said in a joint statement.

The decision means Thursday's fourth ballot, which is set to start in parliament at 1000 GMT, will once again fail to produce a winner. The move also gives Italy's deeply divided parties more time to try to find a mutually acceptable candidate.

The centre-right, which includes the League, Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia, said they wanted to see two presidential votes held on Friday, a signal that the bloc is eager to speed up the election process.

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