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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has celebrated a historic milestone after her right-wing administration became the longest-serving government in Italy’s postwar history.
Meloni marked the achievement on Friday with a major rally in Bari, southern Italy, where thousands of supporters of her Brothers of Italy (FdI) party were expected to gather. The event was held alongside an anti-government protest organised by critics of her administration.
“Today, our government becomes the longest-serving in the history of the Italian Republic,” Meloni wrote on X.
“I welcome this with gratitude and a strong sense of responsibility. Because stability is not a record to be displayed, but the condition that allows a nation to plan, decide, keep its commitments, and be respected,” she added.
Meloni, who became Italy’s first female prime minister on October 22, 2022, has remained in office for 1,413 days, surpassing the previous record held by billionaire media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi.
Italy has experienced 68 governments in eight decades, with many administrations collapsing due to internal disputes, political defections and coalition breakdowns. Meloni’s three-party coalition, which includes the anti-immigration League and conservative Forza Italia, has maintained its unity so far despite several political challenges.
At the Bari rally, organised under the slogan “The Most Stable Government, the Strongest Italy”, Meloni is expected to promote her administration’s record ahead of the 2027 election. Supporters are set to hear speeches on government achievements, including employment growth and tax reductions.
The government has claimed more than one million additional people have entered employment during its term and that personal income taxes have been reduced by €21 billion.
However, critics have questioned whether those gains have improved living standards. CGIL trade union leader Maurizio Landini said wages have not increased significantly while living costs, job insecurity and pressure on public services have grown.
“Have wages increased? No. Petrol costs more, job insecurity has increased, people are retiring less and the healthcare system is functioning less effectively,” Landini said.
Meloni’s government has also placed security and migration at the centre of its agenda, passing hundreds of laws and decrees, many focused on crime, public order and migration controls. Her party has claimed its policies have reduced migrant arrivals by 80 per cent.
Despite the celebration, political analysts say Meloni faces pressure to define her priorities for the remaining period before the next election.
“She will also have to say how she intends to use these last months ahead of the vote — a very interesting question,” journalist Flavia Perina told reporters in Rome.
Meanwhile, opposition groups gathered in Bari’s historic centre to protest against the government, accusing it of promoting militarisation and creating a hostile environment for migrants.
The political pressure has also grown from the far right, with former general Roberto Vannacci’s National Future party gaining support and challenging Meloni’s coalition partners in opinion polls.
As Meloni celebrates a record-breaking tenure, the next phase of her premiership will test whether political stability can translate into broader economic and social gains before Italy heads to the polls in 2027.
