Elly Schlein is a bit like the Donald Trump of the Italian left. No, they didn’t shut down his Twitter account, and he wasn’t accused of rioting in the White House. However, for the sake of some provocation, it must be admitted that there are parallels between him and the American businessman.
Which? By the way, they’re both American. Yes, because the new secretary of the Democratic Party also holds US citizenship. Perhaps because his paternal grandfather immigrated to the United States despite his Ukrainian descent.
Not only that, like Trump, Schlein certainly doesn’t come from public housing, in fact, his family is wealthy: his father is a university professor in Switzerland, his mother is another law teacher at the university, his brother is a mathematician and professor at the University of Zurich, and his sister is the first member of parliament. Italian embassy in Athens, where he survived an anarchist-inspired attack.
Then there’s the way the two of them climb the political ladder. Trump is an industry tycoon who was a member of the Republican Party he was nominated for in the 2016 presidential election. Trump is the first US president to have held any public or military office before he was elected. In short, a “nobody” who, politically speaking, comes in and is a man of prudence for republicans. Does it remind you of someone? Elly Schlein had never held a Democratic Party card until a few months ago, when she planned to compete with Stefano Bonaccini for the secretary position. He came and upset the will of the members of the Democratic Party, who in the circles had largely favored the president of Emilia Romagna in the first round. Schlein is not only an outsider, he has also overturned an already written conclusion, leading to democratic feasts in Italy, a sea of frustration, and even Democratic Party opponents who want a clear left turn.
Then Trump surprisingly defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and Schlein defeated Bonaccini, leaving everyone speechless. Finally, if Trump is a populist, Schlein risks becoming a populist, after all, he has won by beating the powerfully defining issues: repeal of the labor law, “stopping unpaid internships”, “on the side of the most vulnerable”, “public health”, egalitarian marriage, and in favor of surrogacy.
In short, Elly Schlein is more left-wing Donald Trump than Jean-Luc Mélenchon. So much so that Elly Schlein’s real challenge comes now. On the one hand, go on betting on everything, shaking off the usual “old men” of politics who are eager to cooperate with it, as they have already done with their predecessors in the past. It will also have to avoid losing the reformist and Catholic circles.
Otherwise Renzi, who endorsed the end of the Democratic Party, would have been right: “The Democratic Party becomes a left-left party that directly competes with the Five Star Movement and absorbs radical left parties”. On February 26, 2023, not only was a new Democratic Party born, “the path that started with the birth of Italia Viva in September 2019 is completed”. In short, Schlein will have to move from words to policies and turn policies into actions, being careful not to ruin the Pd project in a radical and maximalist party that will have the support of Ferragni and Fedez, but not the people in distress. Improvement of living conditions is suggested.
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
