Italian former general starts far-right party in attack on PM Meloni, EU

In a packed auditorium steps from the Vatican, Roberto Vannacci – the former Italian army general known to supporters as ‘Il Generale’ – is rallying followers of his fledgling party, casting himself as an outsider while reshaping Italy’s right and challenging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a close ally of US President Donald Trump.

Vannacci’s fast-rising “Futuro Nazionale” party is injecting new uncertainty into the conservative bloc that has underpinned Meloni’s government, exposing tensions ahead of the 2027 general election.

The question, analysts say, is no longer whether Vannacci will influence the vote, but whether Meloni can contain, co-opt or outmanoeuvre a challenger carving out political space to her right.

The emergence of a rival on Meloni’s right could also test the stability of her government and threaten the more moderate, pro-European approach the premier has so far adopted in office despite her previous Euro-sceptical rhetoric.

Vannacci’s rise comes as far-right and nationalist parties gain ground across Europe, reshaping the political landscape and focusing on polarising issues like migration and security.

‘The real right’

“With us, Italy will once again be the home of Italians,” Vannacci said at his party’s founding assembly this weekend in Rome, “Everyone must feel safe in their own home.”