By Angelo Amante
ROME, Nov 6 (Reuters) – For the first time since the launch of his far-right party this year, the former Italian Army general Roberto Vannacci is showing signs of losing strength, with falling support in polls and activists abandoning him due to internal disputes and political differences.
Founded by dissident lawmakers from the League coalition, the National Future (FN) is eroding support for the conservative bloc of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, complicating her bid to secure a second term in elections planned for 2027.
While the coalition lags behind the centre-left in polls, FN has emerged as the fourth most popular party, after months of rapid growth with a platform centered on deporting foreigners and opposing LGBTQ rights. Its votes could be crucial for Meloni’s hopes to stay in power, though she has so far ruled out any alliance.
However, after reaching a peak of about 9% support, backing for the FN has declined, with polling firms SWG and Ipsos estimating it between 5.8% and 7.9%, and all recent polls pointing to a downward trend.
Analysts say the party is struggling to broaden its appeal beyond security issues and the “culture war.” “Vannacci talks about security and immigration, but needs a broader political agenda to consolidate support,” said Antonio Noto, a researcher at the state broadcaster RAI.
The slowdown comes amid signs of difficulties elsewhere for the populist right. Reform UK, in the United Kingdom, has recently lost ground in polls, while peers across Europe are absorbing the implications of the Democrats’ victory in the U.S. midterm elections.
Vannacci rose to prominence in 2023 with a book that argued for a return to what he described as traditional values, claiming they were threatened by the woke cancel culture. A year later, he was elected to the European Parliament for the League.
Noto said part of FN’s initial support came from people who previously did not vote — a volatile group that is drifting away as the novelty factor of the new party wears off.
“Another segment came from the centre-right coalition, with high expectations, but now has returned to the party’s fold,” he said.
The committees set up across Italy to rally support for Vannacci have become a source of tension in recent weeks. Some activists have withdrawn, accusing the party of marginalising core supporters who helped build the movement.
“The decline in polling is due to the people who decided to leave because of the way they were treated,” said Thomas Orsetti, a former activist from the Veneto region in the north of the country.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante)
