Salvini backs controversial EU candidate in move to capture far-right votes – expert

6 months ago 26

Deputy Prime Minister and Lega leader Matteo Salvini stood by his choice to have suspended Army General and controversial figure Roberto Vannacci run in the EU elections on Monday, which, according to an expert, would be part of an effort to gain support from the far right.

Vannacci has been a highly controversial figure since the release of his bestselling book Il mondo al contrario (The World Backwards) last year.

In his book, he asserted that homosexual individuals were not “normal,” claimed that “Italian people have white skin, statistics say so,” and expressed views on abortion as “an unfortunate necessity that women are forced to undergo.”

While recent comments from Vannacci, including calls for separate school classes for disabled students, have fueled further backlash, Salvini responded by doubling down in his defence.

“I don’t see why a general who has fought with his boys, in Lebanon, in Iraq, cannot run. […] Who better than him can deal with security in Italy?” Salvini said on Monday.

Salvini’s choice, which has drawn criticism from within the party, including from the likes of Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and Senate Vice President Gian Marco Centinaio, appears to be leveraging Vannacci’s controversial persona to expand support beyond the traditional populist Lega constituency.

“There are several actions and positions taken by the Lega, particularly Salvini, that aim to occupy the political space in competition with Fratelli d’Italia, hoping to capture the far-right electorate in the European elections and achieve a much more favourable electoral outcome than current polls suggest for Salvini’s Lega,” said Edoardo Bressanelli, Associate Professor of Political Science at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies.

Bressanelli suggests that Salvini’s attempt to position himself on the far right side of the European Parliament is part of a broader effort to compete with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia – with competition extending to issues such as the candidacy of Ursula von der Leyen, on which the prime minister has yet to express a stance.

The professor points out Salvini’s inaction when Le Pen attacked Meloni during the congress of Identity and Democracy (ID) for von der Leyen’s candidacy.

“The Deputy Prime Minister (Salvini) was on stage when a leader of a foreign party directly accused the Prime Minister, who is also a government ally. Salvini didn’t lift a finger. So it’s clear that the rivalry is played out at the intersection of Italian and European politics,” Bressanelli noted.

(Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it)