Nicola Zingaretti, the new leader of Italy’s centre-left Democratic party (PD), said European leftwing and liberal forces must unite to protect the EU against those who want to “take a pickaxe” to it.

Zingaretti, 53, has endeavoured to re-energise his party, which governed Italy until June last year, before European parliamentary elections later in May in order to take on Italy’s rightwing populist government with a broad list of leftwing candidates.

He described his slate of candidates as the “only credible list which, if it succeeds, can overcome this difficult phase in Italy and send this government packing”.

Nicola Zingaretti elected as leader of Italy's Democratic party Read more

Zingaretti’s PD is third in polling for the European election, on 21%. The far-right League, the party led by the confrontational Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister and interior minister, has meanwhile overtaken its coalition partners in the Five Star Movement (M5S) to be Italy’s biggest party, polling 31% to M5S’s 25%.

A likeable politician regarded as a moderate who is on his second mandate as president of the Lazio region, Zingaretti has managed to recoup some support for the PD since capturing 67% of the vote in leadership elections in early March.

Zingaretti, whose brother Luca plays the title role in the popular TV series Inspector Montalbano, said Europe needed to “rediscover its patriotism” while overcoming the nationalist surge by focusing on economic growth, development and job creation.

He conceded, however that a fractured PD helped lay the groundwork for his Salvini to enter government as disillusioned voters flocked to populist parties.

Zingaretti has worked to unite the party and boost morale while building alliances in Italy and opening dialogue with the French president Emmanuel Macron’s La République En Marche (Republic on the Move) party and Frans Timmermans, the lead candidate for the Party of European Socialists, and others with a view to forming a post-EU election partnership.

“We are also constructing alliances so that in the next EU parliament those who believe in Europe will be united in defending it,” he said in an interview in Rome. “We are doing all we can to get the highest number of parliamentarians possible to be able to help confront the nationalism that is advancing in European countries in various forms.”

Timmermans took a swipe at Salvini, who is called “the Captain” by loyal supporters, during a meeting with Zingaretti in Rome on Tuesday night, saying: “In Italy, there is only one captain, [footballer] Francesco Totti.”

But whether the PD can recuperate past glories – the party scored more than 40% of the European vote in 2014 when it was led by former prime minister Matteo Renzi – will depend on its ability to rebuild itself as a reputable challenger to the perilous politics of Salvini.

Zingaretti said there was a glimmer of hope in the protests that have met Salvini at some of his election rallies.

“What is emerging, especially among young people, is a healthy reaction and rebellion to the culture of hate,” he added. “Hate is not only unjustifiable and mistaken but also a stupid social and economic recipe, as hate doesn’t create jobs or wellbeing. We will fight against this but it’s very important that we give people an alternative.”

Zingaretti ruled out forming an alliance with M5S in the event of new elections in Italy. Salvini and Luigi Di Maio, co-deputy prime minister and the M5S leader, are constantly at loggerheads, leading many to speculate that the government will collapse soon after the European elections. Di Maio has started to side more with the left as he attempts to portray himself as the antithesis to Salvini.

“An alliance with M5S is unthinkable,” Zingaretti said. “What’s astonishing is that while Di Maio says it’s a scandal that Salvini is forming alliances with European nationalist parties, his party continues to support him as interior minister. They are trying to build an impression of being on the left, but they are tied with Salvini, who represents the extreme right. Whoever votes for Di Maio votes for Salvini too.”