Elly Schlein

Elena Ethel Schlein was born on 4 May 1985 in Lugano, Switzerland, into a family with a rich academic and political history. Her father, Melvin Schlein, is an American academic and political scientist of Ashkenazi Jewish descent; her paternal grandfather changed the family surname from Schleyen to Schlein upon arriving at Ellis Island. Her paternal ancestors originated from Zhovkva, now in Ukraine, and her paternal grandmother, from whom she takes the middle name Ethel, was of Lithuanian origin. She has two siblings: a sister, Susanna, who is a diplomat, and a brother, Benjamin, who is a mathematician.

Schlein is an Italian politician, currently serving as the secretary of the Democratic Party (PD) since 12 March 2023. She is a member of Italy's Chamber of Deputies and previously served as vice president of Emilia-Romagna and as a member of the European Parliament. On 26 February 2023, she was elected PD secretary with 54% of the vote, becoming the first woman to lead the party. Her Swiss, Italian, and American nationality reflects her multicultural background, and she identifies as bisexual. She has an average build and brown hair. Schlein has been active in politics since 2008, starting around age 23, and has been active for 18 years. She has a large following on Instagram, with 479k followers.