A general's new party faced its first vote
A far-right general's new party faced voters for the first time on 27 and 28 September, and got 10.9%.
The vote was a by-election for one seat in the Chamber of Deputies, Italy's lower house, in Reggio Calabria and 70 nearby towns. The seat was empty because its holder, Francesco Cannizzaro of Forza Italia, was elected mayor of Reggio Calabria in May.
Final count, all 487 polling stations: Fabio Roscioli (centre-right, Forza Italia) 51.02% Frank Benedetto (centre-left) 36.59% Domenico Giannetta (Futuro Nazionale) 10.94% Francesco Toscano (Democratic Sovereign Popular) 1.44%
Turnout was 22.34%, over two days. At the 2022 general election it was 49.4%.
Futuro Nazionale, or National Future, is the party Roberto Vannacci founded in February after leaving the League. Vannacci is a former army general, elected to the European Parliament with the League in 2024. In an August poll by BiDiMedia his party stood at 8%, just ahead of Forza Italia, a partner in Giorgia Meloni's coalition.
The vote was also a fight inside the right. Giannetta had led Forza Italia in the regional council; passed over for the seat, he ran for Vannacci. In August, Forza Italia leader Antonio Tajani called Vannacci "a representative of the opposition". On 24 September, Calabria's president Roberto Occhiuto, also of Forza Italia, said the centre-right can win "above all if it stays distinct from the populist right of Futuro Nazionale".
After the result, Vannacci said: "We have only just taken off." Meloni said the centre-right "confirms itself united" and prevailed over "the very broad camp of the opposition".
One seat, and one voter in five. A real test for the general's party, or too small to tell?
The voice in this reel is AI-generated. Quotes are translated from Italian. Script and checks by The Italy Desk.
Corriere della Calabria, Il Post, Il Fatto Quotidiano, ANSA, DIRE, InformaCalabria, La Prima Pagina
