Giorgia Meloni’s government has become Italy’s longest-lasting since World War II, surpassing Silvio Berlusconi’s record of 1,412 consecutive days in power. Supporters marked the milestone on Friday in Abetone Cutigliano, a mountain resort in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.
The achievement applies to the government led by Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy, while Berlusconi remains Italy’s longest-serving prime minister overall because he held office for a longer total period across four terms.
Supporters call the milestone a political breakthrough
In Abetone Cutigliano, a municipality that overwhelmingly backed Brothers of Italy in the October 2022 national election, local supporters gathered for a celebratory event. Andrea Tonarelli, a councillor with the party’s local branch, described the record as a point of pride and said it represented an achievement by the wider political community.
Grazia Di Maggio, Brothers of Italy’s youngest member of the Chamber of Deputies, called the government’s longevity “profoundly symbolic”. She said Meloni’s position as Italy’s first woman prime minister showed that a right-wing government could be credible, stable and responsible.
Analysts distinguish longevity from stability
Paolo Carusi, a lecturer in contemporary history at Roma Tre University, said political stability should not be measured by how long a government remains in office. He attributed Meloni’s survival partly to the electoral law dating from 2018, which helped the right-wing coalition secure an absolute majority in the 2022 election, and partly to Brothers of Italy abandoning parts of its electoral programme to preserve coalition unity.
Carusi also pointed to voter volatility and the rise of National Future, a new far-right party led by former army general Roberto Vannacci. He said the party had become Italy’s fourth most popular political force seven months after its launch and could present itself as the only true defender of right-wing values at the 2027 general election. For additional context, see “Ukraine election debate grows as Zelenskyy cites wartime risks”.
Economic and social concerns remain
Political scientist Piero Ignazi of the University of Bologna described the government’s longevity as a period of stasis, arguing that stability can enable change but can also preserve the status quo or reverse progress.
Italy’s economic growth is forecast at 0.6 percent in 2026. The country is expected to rank last in economic growth and first in public debt within the European Union next year. Ignazi also criticised reforms that turned conduct previously subject to fines or civil penalties into criminal offences, saying the government had introduced 52 new felonies connected to public dissent and the right to protest.
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