'Ignoramuses vote right,' says Bonaccini, sparking fury. Meloni attacks.

A firestorm erupted around Stefano Bonaccini, the president of Italy's Democratic Party (PD), after he suggested that votes for right-wing leaders like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, and Italy's own Giorgia Meloni often come from individuals with lower levels of education, those living in less affluent areas, and people facing economic hardship.

“

Those Italians vote right because we do not ask them how many degrees they have before listening to them. We respect them.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni quickly seized on Bonaccini's remarks, posting a video of his comments on Facebook. She accused the former Emilia-Romagna governor of disrespecting right-wing voters. Meloni argued that her party respects Italians regardless of their educational attainment, contrasting this with what she characterized as a condescending attitude from parts of the left. "Those Italians vote right because we do not ask them how many degrees they have before listening to them. We respect them," Meloni stated, implying Bonaccini and "a certain left" have yet to learn this lesson despite repeated electoral defeats.

Bonaccini, however, defended his comments, asserting they were taken out of a broader context and were meant as a critique of the left's perceived failure to connect with working-class voters. "It is to say that a more popular left is needed," he explained, emphasizing that he would never suggest that only educated people should vote. His intention, he maintained, was to urge the left to better represent those who are economically struggling or have had fewer opportunities for higher education.

“

They took a sentence out of a more comprehensive reasoning. The left, which has often lost elections in many European countries and in the US, should know how to represent better those who are more economically disadvantaged, or who in life have had fewer opportunities to have higher educational qualifications. It is to say that a more popular left is needed.

The controversy drew in other prominent figures. Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini, along with Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and European Affairs Minister Tommaso Foti, all condemned Bonaccini's statements. Tajani called them an "offense to Italian voters," while Salvini dismissed them as the "usual habit of the left" to judge people by their education. Foti accused the left of suffering from a "superiority complex," adding, "Comrade Bonaccini, better ignorant than arrogant."

“

Bonaccini's words are an offense to Italian voters and citizens who overwhelmingly voted for the center-right.

Roberto Vannacci, a right-wing figure himself, also attacked Bonaccini, proudly stating his support from voters who might be described as less educated or economically challenged. "According to this politician... those who vote right... would be above all those who have studied little, who live in the peripheries, in the internal areas and who are worse off economically. And I am proud and proud of that vote," Vannacci declared. The leadership of the PD has largely rallied in defense of Bonaccini.

“

The usual habit of the left. Whoever weighs, evaluates and judges a man only based on his degree is truly a fool.