A possible decision by Army General Roberto Vannacci, who was recently suspended from duty for 11 months following a disciplinary procedure sparked by the publication last year of his controversial bestseller 'Il Mondoal Contrario' (The World Back To Front), to run in European Parliament elections would not be a problem, Premier GiorgiaMeloni said on Tuesday.
"I think it is not a problem," said Meloni on the sidelines of her visit to Trento to sign the Development and Cohesion Agreement between the government and the autonomous province.
Vannacci, a 55-year-old former paratrooper commander, has been courted by the right-wing League of Deputy Premier and TransportMinister Matteo Salvini as a prospective candidate in the June European poll since the publication of his book claiming, among other things, that gays are not normal.
The army general has said he is considering the invitation to stand.
The publication, which sparked immediate controversy prompting the army to disassociate itself, also exposes the GreatReplacement conspiracy theory about mainly Muslim migrantsreplacing ethnic Italians, suggests only white people can bereal Italians, and lauds stand your ground self-defense laws.
In the suspension order, the defense ministry pointed to the "circumstances of the publication of the book" that had not been cleared by top military brass.
These circumstances allegedly showed a "lack of sense of responsibility" and caused "injury to the principle of neutrality of the Armed Force", "compromising the prestige and reputation of the Administration to which it belongs and generating possible disruptive and divisive emulative effects within the military structure".
Vannacci claims the disciplinary measure is in conflict with the right to freedom of expression guaranteed to all citizens, including military personnel, and has said he will appeal.
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