Vannacci: “The run-off? I might call for a boycott. In Cernobbio, I’ll surprise the business community; I’ll also talk about Russian gas.”

General Vannacci, given that the majority is considering an electoral law with a run-off, we wonder what your party’s position is. Indeed: in the event of a run-off, would you urge your supporters to vote for Meloni? “First of all, as things stand, there is no unified position within the majority on the run-off. Forza Italia has not tabled the amendment it had announced; the Lega has stated that it will vote against it; and the amendment tabled in a personal capacity by Marcello Pera remains on the table.” Having said that? “The political significance of the entire debate remains unchanged: for months, Fn was supposed to be irrelevant. As soon as the polls showed it ahead of the Lega and FI, new electoral formulas appeared. It’s a move born of fear.”

Let us consider, however, the prospect of a two-round system. What would you do? “Anyone who imagines they can rule out Fn in the first round and then automatically pocket its votes in the second is making a serious mistake.” So would you abstain? “Our voters are not a parcel to be transferred from one coalition to another, nor are they the property of either myself or, even less so, of the parties that today would like to neutralise their support. The right is certainly our natural home, but ‘natural’ does not mean automatic, subordinate or unconditional.” Is anything possible? “Yes. In the event of a run-off, we will assess the approved legislation, the coalitions in the running and, above all, their policy commitments. If there is genuine common ground, the National Front will play its part. I am not announcing an abstention today, nor am I using it as a threat, but no one can take our voting recommendation for granted. Those who want our votes will have to earn them.”

Let’s move on to developments abroad. The Financial Times describes you as follows: “Russia’s Trojan horse in Italy”. Do you agree with that? “What can I say? They’re terrified. That’s the most obvious answer. We were supposed to be irrelevant, condemned to a fraction of a per cent. Now that we’re rising in the polls, overtaking established parties and threatening to shift the political balance, along comes the Financial Times with the ‘Trojan horse’ accusation. Naturally, without a shred of evidence. And let me add one detail.” Please do. “The label doesn’t stem from a Financial Times investigation, but from an analysis by the European Council on Foreign Relations, which the British newspaper has picked up on and amplified.” Pro-European anti-futurists? “There’s no evidence of Russian funding or secret ties. They’re taking my public stances against the endless supply of weapons and turning them into proof of alleged Kremlin influence. A political witch-hunt built on no evidence. But it’s happening in Germany too, where Merz is pushing the country towards a state of war against Russia. Just as the AfD is preparing to win. Given Merz’s past at the helm of BlackRock, one might well ask: a BlackRock-style coup?”. You’re no stranger to Moscow’s circles, however. “So what? I have served the Italian Republic for decades. Even the post of military attaché in Moscow was entrusted to me by the Italian state. To turn that post into something suspicious is an insult not only to me, but to the institutions that conferred it upon me.”

Let’s move on to the agenda. This year, for the first time, it will be held in Cernobbio. Will you surprise the business community? “Perhaps I’ll surprise them with common sense. Italian businesspeople need politics to stop taking them by surprise every day with new taxes, red tape, costs, unstable regulations and European directives. In Cernobbio, I will make it clear that integration cannot mean submission, and sovereignty does not mean isolation. Europe makes sense if it helps its nations and businesses to compete. It becomes a problem when it turns into a bureaucratic machine that imposes constraints.” Vannacci tells us, amongst other things, that he will then speak about energy policy. We ask whether his idea of reopening channels with Russia will be put forward again today. “Yes. We must reopen all energy and trade channels that are beneficial to the country. It is economic patriotism.” Carlo Calenda, upon hearing of his attendance, announced that he will not be coming. “He also said that I would be taking part ‘with great fanfare’.” It’s a pity that it will instead be a session with Mario Monti and Jordan Bardella, moderated by Francine Lacqua of Bloomberg. So there will be profoundly different viewpoints and a genuine debate. Calenda is free not to attend, but it is curious that someone who presents himself as a liberal should consider it scandalous for an opinion different from his own to be heard. In the end, the empty chair will be his, not mine.”