Former Italian army general and paratrooper Roberto Vannacci has formally launched his new political party, Futuro Nazionale. Describing it as a "real right" party, Vannacci introduced the movement on Sunday with 100,000 members.
Vannacci, who is the author of a banned-then-bestselling anti-gay polemic, is seeking to pull Italy in a more hardline, nationalist direction. The populist movement is already shaking up the country's political scene ahead of the elections in 2026.
The far-right party has already drawn lawmakers away from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition. With current polling close to 5 per cent, Futuro Nazionale now poses one of the largest risks to Meloni's reelection.