‘We have reason to worry’: Italian left’s rising star Elly Schlein on the far-right threat

Elly Schlein, an Italian-American national, is often compared in Italy to the progressive New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Photograph: Marco Vasini/AP

A rising star of Italy’s leftwing alliance has said it is working to regain trust as it seeks to tap the 40% of voters who are unsure of who to back in Sunday’s general election, and pledged to “fight until the very last day” to fend off what could be Italy’s first far-right government since the second world war.

Elly Schlein, a former MEP, first came to prominence in early 2020 after her small party, Coraggiosa (Courageous), played a pivotal role in stopping the far right from seizing power in the traditionally leftwing Emilia-Romagna region.