Elly Schlein is ready to put herself forward to lead the government. She made the announcement at the Democratic Party’s (Pd) national assembly in Rome: “I am ready to lead this community, and to lead it as a candidate for prime minister, with or without primaries.”
For the party secretary, however, the first step remains finalising a shared programme with allies. The choice of leadership comes afterwards: it could go to the party with the most support, or be decided through a primary vote.
“If we hold primaries, we will hold them as a great celebration of popular participation in which our people come together, and they will not be divisive — we will make sure of that,” she assured.
Schlein then went on the attack against the Meloni government, accusing it of squandering its parliamentary majority without improving conditions for Italians. Wages, purchasing power and prospects for young people were the main focus of her criticism, as she also challenged the prime minister’s reading of employment data.
She gave her backing to a proposal from Nicola Fratoianni and Angelo Bonelli to organise a joint demonstration against the rising cost of living and for social justice — an initiative that, according to Schlein, should go hand in hand with building a governing alternative.
On internal debate within the Pd, the secretary called for discussions to be robust, even heated, but said they must be followed by a clear, unified position before voters. She also argued that part of the establishment is opposed to a progressive government led by a figure from the left.
