Another woman has shaken up Italy’s male-dominated political scene – but this time, she’s a feminist, openly queer and left-wing.
Say hello to Elly Schlein, 37, the new head of the progressive Democratic Party (PD). The party is the main centre-left rival to the far-right Brothers of Italy, which swept to power in last year’s election, when its leader, Giorgia Meloni, became Italy’s first female prime minister.
To the surprise of party stalwarts and pollsters, Schlein defeated her older, more centrist male opponent Stefano Bonaccini in PD’s leadership election at the end of February. “They didn’t see us coming,” Schlein quipped triumphantly after her win.
