Vannacci: “Meloni? If she wants to win, she’ll give me a call. I can see her doing well at the Colle”

“If Meloni wants to win, she’ll have to call me. I’m sure she will. I’ll only speak to her. Salvini? He doesn’t count for anything.” Roberto Vannacci strides through the Transatlantico; he has just finished a marathon press conference. An hour in total. Forty minutes to say yes to more repatriations, more CPRs, yes to the abolition of the immigration quota decree and a tightening of citizenship rules, and an end to family reunification. Another twenty to say that the rearmament plan is “stupid and pointless” and that Futuro Nazionale will vote against the motion of confidence on the immigration decree, but also against the use of Delmastro’s chat logs.

He discusses dams (“we need a plan to tackle climate change”) and chariots (“fascism is no more, it’s dead; it’s like” talking about ancient Roman war chariots), and returns to using the term “Rogoredo round-up” to call for the regeneration of the well-known area in the Milanese hinterland. Then, accompanied by his MPs, led by Ziello and Sasso, he steps out into the refreshment area. A coffee to say that no, he will not be standing for election in Rome or Milan (“even though I’ve seen that the polls in Milan are excellent”) and to reiterate that “no, I haven’t spoken to any political figures”. But then he lets slip: “I would vote for Meloni as Prime Minister and then for the Quirinale. It’s possible: the general election is next year, and the Quirinale election is further down the line.”

La Russa for the post-Mattarella era? “Better a young person…”. He is aware that within the centre-right, all the leaders want to turn him into a “pariah”, but – he confides – politics would suggest otherwise. “The future of the nation is at stake here: the next parliamentary term will also decide who will take on the role of President of the Republic. For the time being, he’ll be spending some time in Sardinia (“I have a second home, but in the southern part of the island. I have breakfast with Sardinian produce…”); he has been invited to the Ambrosetti Centre in Cernobbio “where he’ll face off in a ‘duel’ with ‘Mr Monti’”. Will he soon become a Member of Parliament? “We’ll see; I feel like an alien here in the Chamber of Deputies…”