ROME — Roberto Vannacci’s new far‑right movement, Futuro Nazionale, is emerging as a disruptive force that could complicate Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s bid for re‑election.
Four months after breaking from the League, Vannacci says nearly 100,000 people have joined his party and polls put it around 4–5%, a share that could be decisive in Italy’s tight contest next year. The former paratrooper and ex‑defence attache to Russia positions Futuro Nazionale as an uncompromising nationalist alternative, accusing Meloni and her allies of softness on Brussels, crime and migration.
Vannacci built his base with hardline rhetoric against LGBTQ rights, migrants and feminism and rode into the European Parliament in 2024 after a stint inside the League. He has since outflanked both Matteo Salvini and Meloni on the right, prompting concern that Salvini may shift further right to recapture supporters, a move that could pressure Meloni to follow suit.
Polling this week placed Futuro Nazionale close behind the League and contributed to a broader picture in which a centre‑left bloc edges the governing coalition. The new party has already attracted eight lawmakers from coalition ranks and aligns with Europe’s hard‑right groups critical of the EU and Western backing for Ukraine.
Mainstream coalition figures have so far avoided formal ties with Vannacci, wary of his refusal to compromise on the movement’s ideological “purity.” That stance presents Meloni with a dilemma: integrate a rising hardliner and risk alienating moderate voters, or keep him at arm’s length and hope his momentum fades. If Futuro Nazionale seeks longevity beyond protest politics, it will need to build a fuller organisational structure and a credible candidate pool, a test that will determine whether it reshapes Italy’s right or remains a transient insurgency.