In the mountain resort of Abetone Cutigliano, nestled in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, supporters of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are celebrating. On Friday, the Italian leader and her party set a record – leading the country’s longest-lasting government since World War II. Famed for political instability, Italy has seen 68 governments in eight decades.
While the late Silvio Berlusconi keeps the title of longest-serving premier, having held the premiership for a longer period over four terms, the government led by the far-right Brothers of Italy has now overtaken his record of 1,412 consecutive days in power. Abetone Cutigliano, the prime destination for skiing enthusiasts, was one of the municipalities that made the accomplishment possible, overwhelmingly voting for Meloni’s party in the national elections of October 2022. Andrea Tonarelli, a councillor with Brothers of Italy’s local branch, said a seafront celebratory event is being held to mark the occasion.
For Tonarelli, an engineer for the municipality, the milestone is a “point of pride”. He also embraced the party’s “patriotic” resolve to put “Italians first”, including through border protection and the promotion of local products and traditional heritage. This is a milestone by an entire community that makes history in this nation.” Grazia Di Maggio, the youngest member of the Chamber of Deputies for Brothers of Italy, hailed the government’s record-breaking longevity as “profoundly symbolic”.
Meloni has sought to distance herself from fascism, declaring in 2022 that the Italian right had handed the ideology “over to history”. For Di Maggio, who left the southern region of Basilicata at the age of 18 and started her political career leafleting while pursuing a degree in communications in Milan, Meloni’s accomplishment sets an example. In previous decades, “governments would fall but political ideologies would remain stalwart,” Carusi said.
First, Italy’s latest electoral law, dating back to 2018 and applied to the 2022 election that brought Meloni to power, worked to her advantage by allowing the right-wing coalition to obtain an absolute majority. Second, Brothers of Italy gave up on much of its electoral programme to maintain stability, unlike previous governments that had alienated coalition partners by pursuing their own agendas. As a result, Meloni is now grappling with the rapid ascent of a new far-right party led by former army general Roberto Vannacci, which has become the country’s fourth most popular political force only seven months after its launch.
In the upcoming 2027 general election, Vannacci’s National Future will be able to “claim to be the only true upholder of right-wing values,” Carusi said. Political scientist Piero Ignazi, who lectures at the University of Bologna, said the government’s longevity signalled a period of stasis. Italy’s economy remains fragile, with forecasts projecting its growth at a lacklustre 0.6 percent in 2026.
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