Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has marked a political milestone, with her hard-right coalition becoming the longest-lasting government in Italy’s post-war history. The duration surpasses every previous record in a country long defined by cabinet collapses and short-lived administrations, underscoring an unusual period of continuity for a parliamentary system that has cycled through more than 60 governments since 1945.
Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister, took office in October 2022 at the head of a coalition including her Brothers of Italy party, the right-wing League led by Matteo Salvini, and the centre-right Forza Italia founded by the late former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. The alliance has now outlasted every other Italian government formed in the eight decades since the end of the Second World War, a threshold previously set by governments led by figures including Berlusconi himself and the post-war Christian Democrat premiers who dominated mid-twentieth-century Italian politics.
What happened
The record reflects a period of relative stability for a parliamentary system where governments have frequently fallen or been reshuffled, often after losing confidence votes or breaking apart over internal coalition disputes. Previous long-serving Italian administrations, including those of Alcide De Gasperi, Aldo Moro, and Berlusconi, set benchmarks that have now been eclipsed by Meloni’s tenure.
The coalition took office in late 2022 following a snap national election in which Brothers of Italy emerged as the leading vote-getter, allowing Meloni to claim the premiership despite entering government as the head of a three-party alliance rather than a dominant single-party majority. Since then, the government has navigated annual budget cycles, two Italian presidencies of the G7, and a rotating role within the European Union’s institutional calendar, while avoiding the confidence crises and cabinet resignations that have ended most of its predecessors.
Why it matters
The longevity is significant for a political system in which no Italian government had previously managed to remain in office continuously for this length of time, and where average government durations have historically been measured in months rather than years. Crossing the threshold reshapes the political narrative around Meloni personally, offering her a credential of stability that contrasts sharply with the volatility associated with Italian premiers of recent decades, including the technocratic and caretaker administrations that have periodically stepped in to fill political vacuums left by collapsing coalitions.
The milestone also has implications for how Meloni’s government is positioned within the broader European landscape. As the leader of one of the EU’s larger member states and a vocal figure among the bloc’s nationalist and conservative movements, Meloni’s domestic standing now carries weight in debates over migration policy, fiscal rules, and the EU’s relationship with its eastern and southern neighbours.
Background and context
Italy’s post-war political history has been defined by chronic instability. The First Republic, which lasted from 1948 until the early 1990s, saw dozens of governments rotate through office, often held together by shifting intra-party factions rather than formal coalitions. The collapse of the traditional party system through the so-called “Tangentopoli” corruption investigations of 1992 and 1993 ushered in a prolonged period of restructuring, during which new parties — including Forza Italia, the League in its various incarnations, and what would become Brothers of Italy — competed for the space previously occupied by the Christian Democrats and the Italian Communist Party.
The Second Republic, beginning in the mid-1990s, brought its own pattern of volatility, with technocratic governments led by figures such as Mario Monti and Mario Draghi stepping in during periods of economic or political crisis. Meloni’s coalition represents a departure from that pattern, having held office continuously through a period that has included the winding down of pandemic-era emergency measures, the energy shock linked to the war in Ukraine, and rising geopolitical tensions in the Mediterranean.
Analysts have pointed to a confluence of factors behind the coalition’s durability. The opposition remains fragmented, divided between a centre-left led by the Democratic Party, a populist rival movement built around the Five Star Movement’s successors, and a range of smaller forces. Within the coalition, personal tensions between Meloni and her partners — most notably Salvini and the post-Berlusconi leadership of Forza Italia — have been managed rather than allowed to fracture the alliance. Meloni’s own careful management of intra-coalition relations, including her decision to absorb public disagreements rather than allow them to escalate into open confrontations, has also been cited as a factor.
What to watch next
Considerable challenges remain. National elections are scheduled for 2027, and the approaching vote is likely to sharpen competition among the coalition partners as each seeks to position itself with the electorate. The coalition has at times diverged on issues ranging from migration policy and judicial reform to the handling of relations with Brussels and Washington, and those disagreements are likely to intensify as the campaign cycle begins.
Italy’s broader economic and fiscal trajectory will also remain a focal point. Public debt levels remain among the highest in the eurozone, and the coalition’s commitment to EU budgetary rules has been tested repeatedly during annual budget negotiations. The government’s relationship with the European Commission over the Next Generation EU recovery programme, and with the European Central Bank over the trajectory of monetary policy, will continue to require careful management.
On the foreign policy front, Meloni has positioned herself as a leading voice among the EU’s nationalist and conservative movements, maintaining close ties with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump while preserving Italy’s commitments to NATO and to the EU’s core institutional frameworks. Her handling of files including support for Ukraine, migration cooperation with North African governments, and competition with China over critical infrastructure is likely to draw continued scrutiny as the electoral cycle approaches.
Analysis: Meloni’s record-setting tenure underscores a shift in Italian politics toward more durable coalition governments, but it does not signal the end of underlying structural fragilities. The parliamentary arithmetic still requires negotiation, and any withdrawal of confidence by either Salvini’s League or the current Forza Italia leadership would topple the government. The coalition’s ability to maintain internal discipline while addressing unresolved policy disagreements will be a key test of whether this period of stability can be extended or whether Italy reverts to its historical pattern of frequent government changes.
Analysis: The longevity milestone is politically significant for Meloni personally, giving her a claim to competence and continuity that contrasts with the volatility of her predecessors. However, with elections ahead, the coalition’s internal cohesion will face renewed pressure as parties compete for voter attention and address unresolved disagreements. The next phase will test whether the durability reflects genuine institutional maturation or remains a fragile equilibrium dependent on Meloni’s continued management of competing ambitions within her own coalition.
Sources
France24 News: https://www.france24.com/en/video/20260904-meloni-celebrates-milestone-as-italy-s-longest-lasting-government
Source: France24 News
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Story synopsis gathered from: France24 News — source
