Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is facing serious competition on the far right of the political spectrum for the first time. With Futuro Nazionale, a new party founded by former General Roberto Vannacci enters the scene. The former officer has become one of the most controversial figures of Italian nationalism in recent years and now intends to occupy the political space to the right of Meloni’s ruling party.
The first opinion polls show Futuro Nazionale at four to six percent of support. Although still significantly behind Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, the new party could alter the balance of power within the right-wing governing bloc. In particular, Matteo Salvini’s Lega could suffer a decline due to the new competitor. At the same time, Vannacci also seems to attract voters who find Meloni’s governing style too pragmatic.
Vannacci became known for a book containing racist, homophobic, and xenophobic statements. The publication led to disciplinary measures by the Italian army but also earned him considerable media attention, making him a symbolic figure of the ultranationalist camp.
His political program focuses on defending Italian identity and Christian civilization. Added to this are demands for a much more restrictive migration policy, the rejection of the so-called “woke” social policy, and the strengthening of the traditional image of the family. In foreign policy, Vannacci also takes a more pro-Russian stance compared to the Meloni government.
And this is precisely where the political paradox lies. Giorgia Meloni came to power in 2022 with a clearly right-wing conservative agenda. However, since taking office, she has adopted a much more pragmatic line for key political sectors. This concerns both cooperation with the European Union, economic and budget policies, as well as unconditional support for Ukraine. With this development, a new political space has opened up for forces proposing a clearer and uncompromising right-wing line.
However, in the short term, Vannacci is not considered a serious threat to Meloni’s leadership role. Brothers of Italy remains the strongest political force in the country with about 28-30 percent. The biggest challenge is rather a possible fragmentation of the conservative camp. Especially the already weakened League could lose further votes, resulting in a lasting change in the balance of power within the governing coalition.
Whether Futuro Nazionale will manage to achieve a stable presence largely depends on whether Vannacci can transform his current media fame into a solid party organization. For Giorgia Meloni, the emergence of the new party mainly means having to look not only at the political center but also at the far right of her electoral base. This development could reorganize the Italian right wing in the coming years, without, however, immediately jeopardizing the government majority.
By Andreas M. Brucker