Meloni’s Government Becomes Italy’s Longest-Serving Since Republic Was Founded

Giorgia Meloni’s government has become the longest continuously serving government in the history of the Italian Republic, reaching 1,413 days in office. Her administration points to falling unemployment, increased employment, lower irregular migration and fiscal discipline as major achievements. Critics, however, say Italy’s deeper problems—including weak productivity, demographic decline, stagnant wages and strained public services—remain unresolved. Meanwhile, the emergence of former general Roberto Vannacci’s Futuro Nazionale party is creating a new challenge for Meloni’s conservative coalition ahead of the 2027 election.

A NEW RECORD FOR ITALY

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has reached a historic milestone, becoming the longest continuously serving government since the country became a republic in 1946.
Meloni’s administration crossed the 1,413-day mark on Friday, September 4, 2026, moving one day beyond the previous record of 1,412 days held by Silvio Berlusconi’s second government, which served from 2001 to 2005.
The achievement is particularly significant in a country known for political instability. Italy has had 68 governments and 31 prime ministers since the birth of the republic, with an average government lasting roughly 14 months.
Berlusconi, however, remains Italy’s longest-serving prime minister overall, having spent about nine years in office across four separate governments between 1994 and 2011.

MELONI CELEBRATES THE MILESTONE

Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party planned a major celebration in Bari, in Italy’s southern Puglia region, on Friday.
About 80 coaches were expected to bring supporters to the event, where Meloni was scheduled to address the crowd. Deputy Prime Ministers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani were also expected to participate through video links.
Although presented as a celebration of the government’s longevity, the gathering also has an unmistakable electoral dimension, coming ahead of Italy’s 2027 parliamentary election.
Meloni is seeking to demonstrate that her conservative coalition can provide the political stability that has often eluded Italy.

ECONOMIC RECORD UNDER SCRUTINY

Meloni’s government has highlighted employment and public-finance management as some of its main achievements.
Government allies say about 1.2 million additional people have entered employment since Meloni took office, while unemployment has fallen below 6%. The administration has also stressed its efforts to maintain fiscal discipline after years of expensive government programmes.
Analysts broadly acknowledge that Meloni has maintained greater budget discipline than some previous administrations.
However, economists have also criticised the government for making limited progress on deeper structural problems affecting Italy’s economy.
Lorenzo Codogno, a former Treasury chief economist, said the government had done reasonably well on fiscal responsibility but had achieved much less in promoting growth and reforming the economy.

IMMIGRATION REMAINS A CENTRAL ISSUE

Immigration has been one of Meloni’s defining political issues.
Her government has tightened asylum and anti-smuggling rules, expanded repatriation efforts and pursued agreements with North African countries.
The number of new arrivals has fallen sharply, from 157,651 in 2023 to 66,316 last year, according to figures cited by Reuters. Meloni’s supporters regard the decline as evidence that her tougher approach is working.
The government has also promoted controversial arrangements involving migrant processing and repatriation facilities in Albania, although legal challenges have prevented the scheme from operating exactly as originally envisioned.
Meloni’s opponents, however, accuse her administration of encouraging hostility towards migrants and adopting excessively restrictive policies.

CRITICS SAY ITALY’S DEEPER PROBLEMS REMAIN

Despite the government’s longevity and employment gains, critics argue that stability alone does not mean Italy’s long-standing economic and social problems have been solved.
Italy continues to struggle with weak productivity, an ageing and shrinking population, regional inequalities and inefficiencies in healthcare, education and public administration.
The rising cost of living has also become a major source of public dissatisfaction.
CGIL trade union leader Maurizio Landini has questioned whether ordinary Italians have benefited sufficiently from the government’s economic record, pointing to stagnant wages, higher fuel costs, job insecurity and pressure on public healthcare.
Youth concerns are particularly significant. Recent polling cited by Reuters showed that Meloni’s coalition has less than 30% support among voters under 35, compared with almost 50% for the centre-left opposition in that age group.

MAJOR REFORMS HAVE STALLED

One of the contradictions of Meloni’s four years in power is that her government has been highly visible on immigration and law-and-order policies but has struggled to deliver some of its biggest institutional reforms.
A proposed judicial overhaul was rejected by voters in a referendum earlier this year.
Another flagship proposal to strengthen the powers of the prime minister has also stalled.
The government’s regional autonomy reforms have faced legal obstacles after Italy’s Constitutional Court struck down important parts of the legislation.
Meloni has nevertheless been particularly successful in passing tougher security measures covering issues such as illegal raves, public disorder, youth crime, squatting and protests.

A NEW FAR-RIGHT CHALLENGE

While Meloni remains the dominant figure on Italy’s right, a new political force is beginning to complicate her path towards the 2027 election.
Former army general Roberto Vannacci launched the Futuro Nazionale party in February after breaking with Matteo Salvini’s League.
The party has quickly gained support by taking an even harder line on immigration, national identity and traditional social values.
A recent SWG poll placed Futuro Nazionale at 7.5%, slightly ahead of Forza Italia at 7.1% and the League at 5.7%. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy remained Italy’s largest individual party at 26.8%.
Vannacci’s rise could therefore split the conservative vote and make Meloni’s path to another term more complicated.
His growing influence was further demonstrated this week when he was invited to speak at the influential TEHA business forum alongside former Prime Minister Mario Monti.

THE FIGHT FOR THE 2027 ELECTION

Meloni’s government is now entering its final stretch before the next national election.
Her coalition remains a powerful political force, but the electoral landscape is becoming less predictable.
The centre-left opposition is competitive but remains divided, while Vannacci’s new party is attracting voters who might otherwise support Meloni’s coalition.
Meloni is also pushing an electoral reform that would give a majority bonus to a political bloc winning more than 42% of the vote. Supporters say the proposal would help prevent Italy from returning to unstable coalition governments, while opponents accuse the government of designing the system to improve its own electoral prospects.

FROM POLITICAL INSTABILITY TO POLITICAL STABILITY

Meloni’s record is remarkable by Italian standards.
For decades, governments in Rome were frequently replaced, even when the broad political direction of the country remained relatively stable. Italy’s coalition-based political system has historically allowed relatively small parties to exert significant influence over governments.
Meloni has so far managed to keep her coalition together despite disagreements among Brothers of Italy, the League and Forza Italia.
That achievement has helped reassure financial markets and international partners who have long viewed Italy’s political instability as an economic risk.
But the record also creates a new challenge: Meloni must now turn political longevity into lasting results.
Her government has demonstrated that a right-wing coalition can remain in power for an unusually long period. The bigger question is whether it can use that stability to solve the structural problems that have troubled Italy for decades.

A RECORD THAT MAY NOT GUARANTEE ANOTHER TERM

Meloni’s supporters will celebrate Friday’s milestone as proof that Italy can have a stable conservative government.
Her opponents will argue that four years in office should be judged not by the number of days in power, but by improvements in wages, healthcare, education, productivity and living standards.
With the 2027 election approaching and a new far-right challenger gaining ground, Meloni’s greatest political achievement so far could therefore become only the beginning of another difficult test.