(Bloomberg) — Supporters of Italy’s Democratic Party have chosen Elly Schlein as their next leader, a surprise result that signals a shakeup in the country’s main political opposition and also means that women now lead both of the country’s biggest parties.
(Bloomberg) — Supporters of Italy’s Democratic Party have chosen Elly Schlein as their next leader, a surprise result that signals a shakeup in the country’s main political opposition and also means that women now lead both of the country’s biggest parties.
The 37-year-old, who also holds US citizenship, won about 54% of the over 1 million votes cast during an informal ballot Sunday, beating Stefano Bonaccini, Schlein’s erstwhile boss as governor of the Emilia Romagna region.
The ascension of Schlein, an openly bisexual woman positioned far to the left of her predecessor Enrico Letta, could signal an upheaval in the center-left PD, an establishment party that led three consecutive governments from 2013 to 2018.
Schlein made her name as a critic of the PD and its policies, and only joined the party recently in order to run, successfully, for a seat in parliament.
Her father is an American academic and professor of political sciences and her maternal grandfather was a political activist. Schlein took part in former US President Barack Obama electoral campaigns.
The result comes despite Bonaccini having won backing from registered party members in the first stage of the voting process. It also underscores discontent among supporters of the PD, which has been in disarray since losing to a right-wing coalition in Italy’s last general elections in September.
With Schlein taking over as leader of the Democrats, both of Italy’s largest parties are now run by women, a first for a country where politics has traditionally been male-dominated. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni heads the Brothers of Italy, the ruling coalition’s biggest party.
Even as the PD’s new leader pledged to be “a big hurdle for Meloni and her policies,” the premier congratulated Schlein, saying “I hope that the victory of a young woman will help the left look ahead instead of back.”
Schlein has also signaled that she could restart talks to build an alliance with ex-Premier Giuseppe Conte’s Five Star Movement, an idea that’s already caused deep fissures in the party.
The PD and the anti-establishment movement have clashed on a number of issues, notably support for Ukraine, where Five Star has opposed arms shipments to Kyiv. Schlein has not taken a definitive stance on the issue.
(Updates with background in fifth paragraph)
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