Roberto Vannacci rejects centre-right alliances without red lines and clashes with Lega

Forum closing in Orvieto

Roberto Vannacci concluded the Italian Independence Forum in Orvieto on 20 September 2026, framing his movement, Futuro Nazionale, as an independent force in Italian politics. The three-day event took place at the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo under the title "The future of Italy: Social sovereignty for a true European identity." Organized by Gianni Alemanno, the forum focused on Italy's standing in Europe, remigration policies, national identity, and the domestic prison system. Vannacci, a former deputy secretary of Lega, rejected descriptions of his party as an authoritarian structure resembling military barracks. Instead, he stated that his political movement is expanding across the country.

I do not want to manage the decline of our society, nor the destruction of Europe. We want to govern, and we want to do it well, pursuing the interests of Italians. There is no other purpose.

Position on right-wing coalitions

Addressing potential electoral pacts, Vannacci stated that Futuro Nazionale would not participate in tactical seat calculations with the governing centre-right coalition. He displayed a video clip of former deputy Italo Bocchino, who argued that losing an election would be preferable to winning alongside Vannacci. In response to remarks from Ignazio La Russa of Fratelli d'Italia ruling out an alliance, Vannacci noted that coalition decisions are negotiated immediately before elections. He emphasized that his movement's core principles and red lines remain strictly non-negotiable, though he expressed willingness to talk if other parties accept those terms. Furthermore, he rejected any potential backing for future technocratic governments, citing the economic record of previous non-political administrations.

Clashes with Lega leadership

The Orvieto convention coincided with Lega's annual rally on the meadow at Pontida, leading to direct exchanges between Vannacci and his former party colleagues. Vannacci remarked that he did not miss Pontida, noting that while he shared past work with Lega members over 18 months, their political paths had separated. He also pointed to polling declines under Matteo Salvini. Tensions increased after Riccardo Molinari, Lega's group leader in the Chamber of Deputies, stated in the morning that Vannacci had soiled the Pontida field during his appearance the previous year. Vannacci replied from the stage in Orvieto by citing Italian songwriter Fabrizio De Andre.

Molinari, I did you a favour. Remember: nothing grows from diamonds, but flowers grow from manure.

Alignment with Alternative for Germany

Futuro Nazionale also presented its international ties during the gathering, focusing on its relationship with Alternative for Germany (AfD). Vannacci pointed to AfD's rapid growth and noted that both parties share similar policy platforms and sit in the same group in the European Parliament. Marc Jongen, an AfD member of the European Parliament, addressed the forum alongside Vannacci and Gianni Alemanno to deliver greetings from AfD co-leader Alice Weidel.

Italy and Germany are not Brussels protectorates. They must learn to walk together without dissolving into an anonymous entity such as the European Union.

Jongen stated that Weidel anticipated future cooperation between the two parties in government, while advocating greater national sovereignty away from European Union centralization.