Key facts
- General Roberto Vannacci is appealing to the manosphere with a hyper-masculine online persona.
- His National Future party polls at 8% ahead of upcoming elections.
- Vannacci's political program advocates for "Mediterranean patriarchy" and traditional gender roles.
- His 2023 book "The World Upside Down" criticized immigration, feminism, and homosexuality.
- An estimated 62% of National Future's prospective voters are male.
Former paratrooper General Roberto Vannacci is cultivating a hyper-masculine online persona, portraying himself as a Roman legionary and charioteer, to appeal to the so-called manosphere. His political project aims to transform him from an internet provocateur into a significant political force in Italy. Vannacci's National Future party is polling at approximately 8%, posing a challenge for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as she considers whether he is an asset or liability for her coalition ahead of elections.
Vannacci's provocations, including posting an AI-generated image of a female junior minister with exaggerated cleavage, are seen as deliberate plays to tap into the grievances of young men alienated by feminism and progressive culture. His political program, "Mediterranean patriarchy," promises to restore traditional roles for men and women, opposes feminism, and defends "natural family" values.
Vannacci's 2023 self-published book "The World Upside Down" was a critique of immigration, feminism, and homosexuality. He received over half a million votes in the 2024 European elections as a candidate for the anti-immigration League before founding National Future. Polling analysis suggests about 62% of National Future's prospective voters are male, with strong support among manual workers and the unemployed.