Arianna Meloni and Donzelli point out: “Vannacci is voting against the government; he is not an ally”

“Is Roberto Vannacci an ally or an enemy? In politics, there are no enemies, only opponents. But as far as I’m concerned, anyone who votes against the Meloni government is not an ally.” These were the words of Giovanni Donzelli, head of organisation at Fratelli d’Italia, at the launch of the book "Senza Maschera" by Tommaso Longobardi, the Prime Minister’s social media manager. Her sister, Arianna Meloni, was also present at the event. Remaining tight-lipped about the general who, with his Futuro Nazionale party, is decimating the centre-right, she limited herself to responding to Il Foglio after the event had concluded, reiterating the position of her colleague Donzelli: “It’s not as though I’ll change my mind if you ask me the same thing 82 times; that’s my position.”

During the event, in response to an unscheduled question from podcaster Mr Marra – who was also a guest – Donzelli added: “When I hear Vannacci speak, I sometimes think he’s right about certain things. But then I see him in Parliament voting against the first right-wing government in Italian history.” He continued: “If he were to prove crucial in the next elections, but held views different from ours and voted against us in Parliament, we wouldn’t be interested in him. We have never chosen our allies based on what we need, but on how they behave. Otherwise, we would have joined the Draghi government and, before that, the Conte government. Vannacci is not an ally because he votes against the Meloni government, just like Schlein, Conte and Soumahoro.” A position shared, we repeat, by the Prime Minister’s sister, Arianna.