Far-right ex-general and MEP Roberto Vannacci has officially founded his new political party, Futuro Nazionale, at a packed Rome ceremony. He positioned the party as a sovereigntist force independent of the centre-right coalition.
General Roberto Vannacci has formally launched Futuro Nazionale, his new political party, at a constituent assembly held metres from St Peter’s in Rome. The event, staged at the Conciliazione auditorium with all 1,750 seats reportedly filled, was closed to press and television — a deliberate choice by the former paratrooper, who used the occasion to attack mainstream media directly, naming individual journalists from the stage.
Vannacci, who was elevated to deputy leader of the Lega by Matteo Salvini before parting ways with the party in February, addressed over 1,500 local delegates who had travelled from across Italy. Speaking for an hour, he outlined a platform rooted in sovereignism and the controversial policy of “remigration” — the organised return of immigrants to their countries of origin. “Italy for Italians,” he told the crowd, insisting that such language was no longer taboo. “Before, the word remigration couldn’t be said. Now they tell us it can’t be done because citizenship can’t be taken away.”
Attack on the Centre-Right
The most politically pointed section of Vannacci’s speech was directed not at the left, but at the ruling centre-right coalition. He listed around twenty instances in which right-wing forces in the European Parliament — aligned with the European People’s Party (EPP) — had voted alongside the PD and the M5S, positions he described as incompatible with genuine sovereignism. His sharpest criticism was reserved for Forza Italia leader Antonio Tajani, whom he named repeatedly, in contrast to his studied silence on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Salvini.
The move is a pointed riposte to Meloni, who told parliament on Thursday that “the true right” does not vote against the majority and for the left, effectively accusing Vannacci of serving as a crutch for the opposition. Vannacci rejected the ultimatum. “I’ve never talked about joining the centre-right; that is not my intention,” he said, adding that he would not “change or soften” his positions.
He also challenged the ideological coherence of the coalition from the right, asking: “Should I ally myself with this centre-right alliance that continues to push forward the Draghi agenda?” The framing positions Futuro Nazionale as the authentic custodian of sovereignty, a direct challenge to Meloni’s own brand positioning.
“Scum and Sons of No One”
In characteristic style, Vannacci embraced deliberately provocative language to describe his new base. He called his supporters “the scum and the sons of no one”, terms he deployed with pride, turning the rhetoric of dismissal into a badge of honour. The event had the quality of a movement rally rather than a standard party launch: the auditorium was draped in blue, the party’s primary colour alongside the Italian tricolore, and activists sold black T-shirts bearing Futurista imagery in the foyer.
Among those in the front row were invited representatives from Fratelli d’Italia, Lega, and Forza Italia — present, Vannacci said, out of “politeness” — alongside his own parliamentary allies, currently eight MPs and therefore just short of the nine required to form an official group in the Chamber of Deputies. Also present was Antonio Maria Rinaldi, a former Lega MEP, and veteran far-right figure Mario Borghezio, whose appearance drew enthusiastic applause.
Vannacci closed his speech with the prayer of the French paratroopers before declaring, “With strength and faith, we will move forward; the rest we will achieve on our own.”
Claims of 5% support
Speaking to journalists after the assembly, in a cramped side corridor, one of the few spaces made available to media, Vannacci claimed the party already commands 5% of public support before having formally existed. He offered no sourcing for the figure. The claim is consistent with his recent polling performance as a Lega MEP, in which he secured an exceptionally high personal vote in the June 2024 European elections, though how far that translates into a durable party base remains to be seen.
The launch of Futuro Nazionale represents a significant fragmentation of the Italian far right, and a direct challenge to the internal discipline of Meloni’s coalition at a moment when the government is seeking to consolidate its European alliances. Whether Vannacci’s blend of military theatre, remigration rhetoric, and anti-establishment sovereignism can translate into electoral force at the domestic level remains the central question.
