(AP) Italy's largest opposition party has proposed as a candidate for the Senate the widow of an intelligence agent shot at a U.S. checkpoint in Iraq.

Rosa Calipari was one of two names put forward Tuesday by the Democrats of the Left to top their list of candidates for the Senate from the southern region of Calabria. The nomination must be approved by the party's regional office.

General elections are scheduled for April 9.

Agent Nicola Calipari was killed in March at a U.S. checkpoint on the road to Baghdad airport, shortly after he had helped secure the release of an Italian hostage, journalist Giuliana Sgrena.

Calipari, who shielded Sgrena when U.S. troops opened fire on their car, was widely seen as a hero in Italy, with as many as 20,000 mourners attending a state funeral held for him in Rome.

The case strained relations between Italy and the United States, and the two countries issued separate reports on the incident after failing to agree on a shared version of events.