Meloni’s nightmare: retired general builds far-right alternative

Former Major General Roberto Vannacci officially inaugurated on 14 June his new far-right party, Futuro Nazionale (National Future), in a solemn ceremony in Rome.

The event carried theatrical weight. One official introduced the 57-year-old as a “modern-day Julius Caesar,” and the crowd responded with rhythmic chants of “Generale, Generale, Generale” as Vannacci took the stage. His message was clear: he intends to challenge Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni directly, positioning his movement as the authentic voice of the Italian right that Meloni’s government has supposedly abandoned.

Vannacci’s military credentials are impressive. A veteran of special forces operations in Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, he commanded elite units including the Col Moschin parachute regiment and the Folgore parachute brigade. After retiring, he entered politics as a Member of the European Parliament and briefly served as deputy leader of Matteo Salvini’s League. Yet he ultimately found the party too radical in some respects and too compromising in others. In early 2026, he broke away to found Futuro Nazionale, which he presents as the true standard-bearer of nationalist principles.

The rise of Il Generale

Vannacci first burst into national prominence in 2023 with his self-published book Il Mondo al Contrario (The World Upside Down). The work delivered scathing critiques of LGBTQ+ advocacy, modern feminism, environmental policies, and mass immigration. His outspoken views led to suspension by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, a Meloni ally, who argued that the general’s statements discredited the armed forces. Instead of silencing him, the backlash transformed Vannacci into a populist hero. Salvini capitalized on the momentum by placing him on the League’s list for the 2024 European elections, where Vannacci secured over 530,000 preference votes and a seat in Brussels.

This weekend’s founding congress marks the next chapter. Standing just steps from the Vatican in a packed auditorium, Vannacci declared that his party speaks for “the rejected and despised,” embracing the label with pride. He has positioned himself as Italy’s most uncompromising voice on immigration, promising to reduce the foreign population from around 12 percent to approximately 4 percent. “We don’t have an immigration program,” he told cheering supporters, “we have a re-emigration program.”

The party has already aligned itself with the Europe of Sovereign Nations group in the European Parliament, alongside Germany’s AfD and Polish Confederation members. Vannacci’s platform blends hardline nationalism with economic proposals that echo Meloni’s earlier opposition rhetoric. He calls for a national debate on Italy’s eurozone membership, advocates abandoning the EU’s Green Deal, and supports lifting the country’s ban on nuclear energy. Additional pledges include tax cuts for families with children, a zero-tolerance approach to crime despite Italy’s relatively low rates of homicide and violent offenses, and significant investment in security and new prisons.

Challenges for Meloni’s coalition

Vannacci’s emergence creates immediate headaches for Meloni. Her Brothers of Italy currently leads polls with roughly 28 percent support. Together with Salvini’s League at about 7 percent and Forza Italia at 8 percent, the ruling coalition hovers around 43 percent. Futuro Nazionale is polling close to 5 percent—enough to siphon votes from the right and complicate Meloni’s path to victory in next year’s national elections. Any formal alliance with Vannacci would risk alienating moderate voters put off by his anti-EU stance, pro-Russian sympathies, and ties to European far-right parties. Such a partnership could also strain relations with European partners, including figures like Donald Tusk.

Meloni built her success by occupying the entire right-wing space: maintaining a firm nationalist tone while governing pragmatically to reassure markets and Brussels. Vannacci’s raid on her base disrupts that balance. He has openly accused her of betraying campaign promises, though he admits his own platform must adapt to reality. “No plan survives the first shot in battle,” he remarked, quoting a military maxim. “It has to be adapted.”

On the other side of the aisle, the fragmented opposition senses opportunity. The center-left Democratic Party holds second place with 22 percent, followed by the populist Five Star Movement at 13 percent. Smaller parties – Green and Left Alliance (6 percent), Azione (3 percent), Italia Viva (2 percent), and +Europa (2 percent), could together form a “campo largo” (broad field) coalition totaling around 48 percent. These groups have governed together before, most notably in Conte’s second cabinet from 2019 to 2021, demonstrating that cooperation is possible despite ideological differences.

Italian politics has always been volatile, and Vannacci now acts as a loose cannon with genuine disruptive potential. His movement is not a mere protest vehicle; it is building organizational strength and drawing on deep discontent among voters who feel Meloni has moderated too far. Whether Futuro Nazionale sustains its early momentum or fades like many niche parties remains to be seen. Yet its launch signals a significant shift: the era in which Meloni faced no serious challenger to her right has ended.

Vannacci’s success or failure will test the resilience of Italy’s conservative coalition and the broader appeal of uncompromising nationalism in a country facing economic pressures, demographic challenges, and EU constraints. For now, the general has forced Meloni into a difficult strategic recalibration. As Italy heads toward elections (the next parliamentary elections are in 2027), the battle for the soul of the Italian right is fully underway, with consequences that could reverberate across Europe.

Sources: FocusEurope.pl, Reuters, ANSA

Caption: Leader of the National Future (Futuro Nazionale, FN) party, Roberto Vannacci (L), with the national coordinator Massimiliano Simoni, answers journalists’ questions during a press briefing after his speech at the FN constituent assembly in Rome, Italy, 13 June 2026. EPA/FABIO FRUSTACI