Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni harshly targets former general Roberto Vannacci

In a parliamentary session, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni launched a vigorous attack on Roberto Vannacci, a former army general who now leads the Futuro Nazionale party. Meloni accused Vannacci and his supporters of being “functional to the left” and of repeatedly voting against her government, linking them to opposition figures such as Elly Schlein and Giuseppe Conte. She argued that the so‑called “real right” should not side with progressive forces and criticized Vannacci’s political positioning.

The controversy follows earlier comments from former premier Matteo Renzi, who praised Vannacci’s strategy to weaken the centre‑right ahead of upcoming elections. Vannacci’s emergence as a potential new right‑wing challenger has sparked a fierce debate within Italy’s political landscape, with Meloni positioning herself as the defender of the traditional centre‑right bloc.