A credible alternative to the parties of the right exists and centre-left groups will prove it in June's European elections, Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein told the 2024 Congress of the Party of European Socialists' (PES) in Rome on Saturday.
"We see a window of change beginning to open in the country, we see that the alternative exists," said Schlein, whose party teamed with the populist 5-Star Movement (M5S) to win lastweek's regional elections in Sardinia and end a long string of victories for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's ruling right/centre-rightcoalition.
"Change is possible, we have already demonstrated it and together we will demonstrate it in Europe in June. It will be a crucial election campaign for the fate of our continent.
"Here the right here has cut welfare and denied the rights of the children of LGBT couples ," Schlein told the congress, which crowned European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit as PES's candidate to be the next Commission President.
"Meloni and (Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo)Salvini brought Putin's friends to Italy.
"We, on the other hand, bring the friends of Italy and Europe to Italy.
"We cannot leave internationalism to the nationalists.
"They are always looking for a new enemy: migrants, women, judges, NGOs, gays".
The 38-year-old, who last year became the first woman to lead the PD, said the victory in Sardinia showed the importance of progressive parties being united.
"You are here (in Rome) to bring us hope, but I hope that we too can do the same with the victory in Sardinia obtained thanks to the unity of all the parties in the coalition, because we did not win alone," she said.
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