Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took the stage in Bari on Saturday to mark a milestone that few postwar Italian leaders have achieved: her government has become the longest-serving in the history of the Italian Republic. On 4 September, the coalition reached 1,413 days in office, edging past the previous record of 1,412 days set by Silvio Berlusconi's second government.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters, Meloni presented the longevity as proof of her right-wing coalition's stability and cohesion. "It is no coincidence that the three longest-serving governments in the history of the Italian Republic are all center-right governments," she said. "Stability is our first great reform," she added, arguing that political continuity has allowed her administration to pursue economic and foreign policy goals that would have been difficult under Italy's traditionally short-lived governments.
Setting the stage for 2027
The rally in Bari was as much about the past as it was about the future. With the next general election due in 2027, Meloni used the event to lay out her campaign themes, touting achievements from judicial reform to prison construction. "The most stable government is not necessarily the most capable one," she said. "The most stable government is simply the one that has had more time than others to be judged."
According to a YouTrend poll published on 4 September, her party, Brothers of Italy, stands at 26.5% in voting intentions, slightly above the 26.04% it won in the 2022 election. The prime minister also addressed justice and security, promising to build more prisons "to ensure that sentences are carried out." She rejected amnesties as a solution to overcrowding, saying, "We will never solve overcrowding through pardons and amnesties."
Meloni reiterated her government's commitment to judicial reform despite a setback in a 2026 referendum, in which about 54% of voters rejected a constitutional overhaul that would have separated the careers of judges and prosecutors and reformed the judiciary's self-governing body. "Despite the missed opportunity of constitutional reform, we continue to work, for example, on the right to a fair trial," she said. "We will not give up on providing answers."
In one of the most personal moments of the speech, Meloni reflected on the challenges of governing. "There were days when it felt like I was swimming through glue, but I never gave up and I do not intend to start now," she said, prompting chants of "Giorgia, Giorgia."
Opposition questions the record
Not everyone is convinced that longevity equals success. Critics argue that Italy's long-standing problems—weak productivity growth, stagnant wages, and inefficiencies in public services—remain largely unresolved. As Meloni's government celebrates its endurance, the political focus is shifting from whether it can survive to whether voters believe it has delivered enough to deserve another term.
Opposition leaders say the government has yet to find concrete ways to boost long-term economic growth beyond keeping public debt and deficits under control. The debate echoes broader questions about Italy's role in Europe, where political stability has often been elusive. Meloni's record, while notable, comes against a backdrop of persistent structural challenges that no single government has fully addressed.
As the 2027 election approaches, the prime minister's ability to translate her government's longevity into electoral support will be tested. For now, she is betting that Italians value continuity over upheaval—a message that resonates in a country where governments have historically fallen with alarming frequency.
