Since being elected secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein has managed to lose every election she has faced as party leader. Administrative, regional elections and also the supplementary elections in October. Now, however, a possible defeat appears on the horizon that would mark a historic moment, because if Schlein managed to lose even in Florence, one of the strong reds par excellence, it would be sensational. And given the latest movements recorded in the city, the hypothesis may not be so remote. Cecilia Del Re, former councilor for urban planning in the Tuscan capital, left the Democratic Party in controversy with the party that “chose closure instead of participation, arrogance instead of listening and dialogue”. Del Re announced the birth of a civic list that will be called “Democratic Florence”, a formation that the candidate herself in the race for Palazzo Vecchio defined as “open to dialogue with all center-left forces in the city”.
A diaspora that could cause the Democratic candidate Funaro to lose votes and, on the contrary, could help the candidate Italia Viva if Del Re decided to form a ticket with Renzian. Either way, there doesn’t seem to be any good news for Schlein on the Tuscan horizon. A possible disaster that would add to those already registered by the secretary. The first appointment was the regional elections in Friuli, which, needless to say, he lost, but in this case the alibi was that the secretary had been at the Nazarene for a very short time. Then, in May, there were municipal elections. The center-right won in Ancona, Brindisi, Pisa, Siena, Massa and Catania. In Terni Stefano Bandecchi from Alternative Popolare won, in Ragusa the citizen Peppe Cassì was re-elected. The center-left won in Trapani, also supported by the League, and in Vicenza, where, however, Giacomo Possamai begged Schlein not to go; perhaps already feeling that the secretary didn’t exactly have good luck. The famous “Schlein effect” so boasted before the electoral appointments did not exist and Giovanni Donzelli, FdI deputy, highlighted: “Schlein effect? Yes, there was, but in our favor.” From Nazareno, the secretary had to admit what was a “clear defeat, the wind in favor of the right remains strong, it cannot be overcome alone”.
Although on closer inspection in Molise, where the PD 5 Star Movement, the Green Alliance and the Italian Left tried to run the ticket, the broad field recorded a solid defeat: 36.3% for the candidate Gravina against 62.3% for Roberti. In short, victory is not guaranteed even together. For the Democrats, there were mainly two problems: the party’s shift increasingly to the left and a leadership centered on the secretary who did not grant listening and space either at the central level or even at the territorial level.
As if that weren’t enough, Schlein also managed to lose the partial elections in October, elections in which Silvio Berlusconi’s seat in the Senate would be allocated. Needless to say, the center-right won with Adriano Galliani, while the center-left candidate Marco Cappato came second. After the national defeats, Schlein also wanted to venture into the international field, but, as he was unable to compete in person, he relied on the support of social media. First in favor of Sergio Massa, candidate for president of Argentina, and then in favor of Frans Timmermans involved in the elections in the Netherlands. How did it end? Both lost. A disaster that Salvini commented sarcastically: “Schlein effect”. The 2024 European Championship is here, in the event of another defeat there are those who swear that many in the Democratic Party would ask for the head of a secretary who only knows how to lose.
Source: IL Tempo
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.
