{"id":212639,"date":"2026-09-03T04:22:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T04:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/212639\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T04:22:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T04:22:16","slug":"italy-weighs-the-results-as-giorgia-melonis-government-sets-a-longevity-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/212639\/","title":{"rendered":"Italy weighs the results as Giorgia Meloni’s government sets a longevity record"},"content":{"rendered":"

ROME \u2013 In a country where governments are famously short-lived, the perceived success of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni<\/a> has often been attributed to her survival skills rather than her accomplishments.<\/p>\n

Meloni\u2019s conservative administration became Italy\u2019s longest-serving uninterrupted government since World War II at 1,413 days on Thursday, surpassing the record set by the late Silvio Berlusconi<\/a> between 2001-2005.<\/p>\n

Meloni and her party will celebrate the feat on Friday with a huge preelection rally in the southern city of Bari.<\/p>\n

Meloni, straightforward and pragmatic, has managed to stave off the crises and defections that have toppled past governments. The results from this uncharacteristic period of stability \u2014 or lack thereof \u2014 is what may ultimately define Meloni\u2019s legacy, and the odds of remaining in power for a new mandate. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have five years in office and not much to show when you go back to voters, it can weigh against you,\u201d said Nathalie Tocci, an international relations expert and professor at Johns Hopkins University.<\/p>\n

From outsider to insider<\/p>\n

When Meloni took office in October 2022, she was Italy’s first female prime minister. Her government was also the first led by a party with neo-fascist roots, and European allies and financial markets viewed Meloni with unease.<\/p>\n

But Meloni has largely governed practically. She maintained constant support for Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion, worked within European institutions and embraced fiscal discipline. <\/p>\n

Her relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> became one of her most notable foreign policy assets.<\/p>\n

While political instability has reshaped governments elsewhere in Europe \u2014 including the United Kingdom and France \u2014 Meloni has kept the same coalition in place since taking office, a rarity in modern Italian politics and a central pillar of her reelection bid.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeloni has reaped a part of what she sowed, because I know few people so determined, so hardworking, so precise, so meticulous, who have sacrificed both their human and private spheres in order to serve the institutions,\u201d Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor this she is now reaping exactly what she deserves in terms of international credibility,\u201d he said inside the ministry. \u201cShe is not reaping the same on the Italian level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heading toward the next election, due by the end of 2027, there is no longer any debate that Meloni can govern. The question is whether voters believe her government delivered enough to deserve another term.<\/p>\n

Supporters point to tighter public finances, the rollback of costly measures, more than 1 million additional jobs and unemployment below 6%. They also cite a sharp decline in the arrival of migrants. <\/p>\n

\u201cDuration is not synonymous with results … but these are important ones,\u201d Crosetto said.<\/p>\n

However, Meloni’s willingness to become more moderate has opened room for more conservative challengers. And critics say her impact has been underwhelming at home, where a stagnant economy and soaring inflation linger, and that her greatest accomplishments are on the European stage.<\/p>\n

Meloni is still targeting a milestone Berlusconi had been chasing: an uninterrupted five-year term as a single government. Two days divided one of Berlusconi\u2019s mandates, following his resignation amid dismal regional election results.<\/p>\n

Making the economic case<\/p>\n

Meloni has repeatedly argued that supporting businesses and job creators has produced concrete results. She said that her policies helped create 1.2 million stable jobs and bring overall and youth unemployment to historic lows.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government\u2019s strategy has focused on supporting those who create wealth and jobs \u2026 we have reached a record high in employment,\u201d Meloni said at a recent labor event defending her government’s record. <\/p>\n

While she and her supporters point to jobs, fiscal discipline and political durability, critics counter that many of Italy\u2019s persistent problems remain. Weak productivity, demographic decline and long-standing inefficiencies in healthcare, education and public administration remain largely unaddressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Meloni government has been certainly stable and long-running, but it hasn\u2019t achieved much in terms of structural reforms,\u201d political analyst and pollster Lorenzo Pregliasco said.<\/p>\n

Opposition leaders say Meloni’s government has yet to find concrete ways to stimulate long-term economic growth beyond just controlling public debt and state deficits. <\/p>\n

Former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, leader of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and a possible rival at the polls, pointed to the higher cost of living.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government is celebrating, but Italians are not,\u201d Conte said in a recent speech outside parliament.<\/p>\n

Turning global standing into political capital<\/p>\n

Some say the strongest result from Meloni\u2019s tenure lies abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cItaly has somewhat lost its role as Europe\u2019s black sheep,\u201d said Stefano Manzocchi, an international economics expert and professor at Rome’s LUISS University.<\/p>\n

And Meloni’s personal transformation, from nationalist outsider to European leader, reassured investors and fellow European leaders. <\/p>\n

Her knack for the balancing act was highlighted during recent tensions with Trump. After his claim she had \u201cbegged\u201d him for a photo<\/a> at a Group of Seven summit in France, Meloni shot back: \u201cItaly doesn\u2019t beg.\u201d It won her points with Italians who saw it as evidence that she could maintain relations with Washington while publicly defending Italy and Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like Meloni, I like her character because she is authoritative and doesn\u2019t let anyone walk on her,\u201d said David Del Sarto, a 52-year-old taxi driver in Rome.<\/p>\n

A challenger on her right<\/p>\n

Tocci, the Johns Hopkins professor, noted that by pairing nationalist positions on migration and identity with tactical ability, Meloni helped accelerate the mainstreaming of Europe\u2019s hard right. Once viewed with suspicion by much of the political establishment, nationalist parties increasingly gained influence within governments and European institutions.<\/p>\n

Meloni’s supporters see her evolution as proof that nationalist conservatives can govern responsibly while remaining committed to democratic institutions and Western alliances. <\/p>\n

Others, though, consider her mainstream evolution as a weakness.<\/p>\n

Retired army Gen. Roberto Vannacci<\/a> \u2014 known for his hard-line positions on immigration and national identity \u2014 has emerged as a prominent voice on Italy\u2019s far right, threatening Meloni by launching his own political party. He argues that Meloni has abandoned many of the combative promises that energized her political base, choosing instead to project an institution-friendly conservative image to her European and U.S. allies.<\/p>\n

It may succeed in siphoning off conservative voters and lawmakers who feel Meloni moderated too much in her pursuit of stability.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP videojournalists Paolo Santalucia and Trisha Thomas contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ROME \u2013 In a country where governments are famously short-lived, the perceived success of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":212640,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[127],"tags":[474,95110,12,1065,273,4601,1763,6249,54621,5822,95111,52],"class_list":["post-212639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-giorgia-meloni","tag-business","tag-david-del-sarto","tag-donald-trump","tag-elections","tag-giorgia-meloni","tag-giuseppe-conte","tag-guido-crosetto","tag-lorenzo-pregliasco","tag-roberto-vannacci","tag-silvio-berlusconi","tag-stefano-manzocchi","tag-world-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/117205201586993925","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}