Giorgia Meloni, who leads Italy’s right-wing government, became the country’s longest-serving head of government in the 80-year history of the Italian Republic on Friday.
Meloni’s government — described as the most right-wing to take power in Italy since World War II — has now been in office for 1,413 days.
With this, she has broken a record held by billionaire media mogul Silvio Berlusconi. However, Berlusconi still holds the record for the longest cumulative time as prime minister across multiple governments — nearly nine years.
Italy has had 68 governments in the 80 years since the republic was founded after the war, meaning each government has lasted an average of about 13 months.
Celebrating Meloni’s record
Meloni and her hard-right party, Brothers of Italy (FdI), organized celebrations marking the record on Friday in Bari, a port city in the southern Puglia region.
Around 80 coaches were planned to bring supporters to the event. Meloni is scheduled to address the rally in the evening.
Deputy Prime Ministers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani are expected to join the event via video link. The event is also being seen as a campaign opportunity ahead of Italy’s 2027 election.
Claims from the Meloni government and its supporters
The Meloni government says employment has grown by 1 million during its four years in power. Over the same period, it says, the unemployment rate has fallen below 6%, and personal income tax has been cut by 21 billion euros ($24 billion).
The government also points to a significant drop in migrant arrivals as a major achievement.
The prime minister, whose party has neo-fascist roots, also claims Italy’s influence on the world stage has grown.
Meloni’s nationalist positions have also been praised domestically on several occasions. One notable example was her unusually close early relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump later claimed Meloni had asked to have her picture taken with him.
Responding to Trump’s claim, Meloni said, “Italy doesn’t beg anyone.” Her remark was well received by many Italians.
Meloni’s critics
Critics of Meloni — Italy’s first female prime minister — and her government, the longest-serving in the country’s history, say that despite the record, the country’s long-standing problems remain unresolved.
They cite weak productivity, a demographic crisis, and longstanding inefficiency in healthcare, education and public administration. A rising cost of living is also a major point of criticism.
Ahead of the pro-government celebration, Maurizio Landini, head of Italy’s CGIL trade union, said: “Have wages gone up? No. Petrol prices have gone up, job insecurity has increased, fewer people are retiring, and the healthcare system is running less effectively than before.”
Alongside Meloni’s party rally in Bari, opposition groups are also holding a counter-rally elsewhere in the city. Organizers have accused the Meloni government of building a “war and arms economy” and a “police state.” They have also accused the government of stoking hostility toward migrants.
Meanwhile, some believe Meloni has become overly centrist, having moved away from the positions she held during her election campaign — a view shared by some of her potential rivals for the 2027 election.
Retired army officer Roberto Vannacci is one such rival. His party is even further to the right than Meloni’s. Vannacci is known for his hardline positions on immigration and national identity.
Opinion polls show his party has overtaken two of Meloni’s coalition partners — the anti-immigration League and the right-wing Forza Italia.