{"id":1040697,"date":"2026-09-03T11:22:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T11:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1040697\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T11:22:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T11:22:20","slug":"meloni-marks-a-record-run-in-power-as-italy-weighs-her-accomplishments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1040697\/","title":{"rendered":"Meloni marks a record run in power as Italy weighs her accomplishments"},"content":{"rendered":"

ROME (AP) \u2014 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

On Thursday, after 1,413 days \u2014 nearly four years \u2014 Meloni\u2019s conservative administration became Italy\u2019s longest-serving uninterrupted government since World War II, surpassing the record set by the late Silvio Berlusconi<\/a> between 2001 and 2005.<\/p>\n

None of Italy\u2019s 68 governments in the country\u2019s 80 years as a republic has yet to complete a five-year term without interruption. Berlusconi came closest, but a government crisis forced him to resign briefly in 2005 before forming a new Cabinet. <\/p>\n

Meloni and her party will celebrate their feat on Friday with a large 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 \u2014 or lack of results \u2014 from this uncharacteristic period of stability may ultimately define Meloni\u2019s legacy and her odds of winning another term.<\/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

<\/p>\n

\"Right-wing<\/p>\n

Right-wing party Brothers of Italy\u2019s leader Giorgia Meloni addresses a rally as she starts her political campaign ahead of the Sept. 25 general elections, in Ancona, Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. (AP Photo\/Domenico Stinellis, File)<\/p>\n

Right-wing party Brothers of Italy\u2019s leader Giorgia Meloni addresses a rally as she starts her political campaign ahead of the Sept. 25 general elections, in Ancona, Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. (AP Photo\/Domenico Stinellis, File)<\/p>\n

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From outsider to insider<\/p>\n

When Meloni took office in October 2022, she was Italy\u2019s 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 her with unease.<\/p>\n

But Meloni has largely governed pragmatically. She maintained steadfast support for Ukraine following Russia\u2019s 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 \u2014 at least initially.<\/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, speaking in a room in the ministry filled with photos of his predecessors. \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

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Making the economic case<\/p>\n

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

\u201cDuration is not synonymous with results,\u201d Crosetto said, referring to the government\u2019s record, \u201cbut these are important ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Italian<\/p>\n

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, left, and Youth Policy Minister Giorgia Meloni meet supporters during a People of Freedom party meeting in Rome, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010. (AP Photo\/Gregorio Borgia, File)<\/p>\n

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, left, and Youth Policy Minister Giorgia Meloni meet supporters during a People of Freedom party meeting in Rome, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010. (AP Photo\/Gregorio Borgia, File)<\/p>\n

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Meloni says those gains resulted from policies supporting businesses and job creators.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government\u2019s strategy has focused on supporting those who create wealth and jobs,\u201d Meloni said at a recent labor event. \u201cWe have reached a record high in employment.\u201d<\/p>\n

While she and her supporters point to jobs, fiscal discipline and political durability, her 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\u2019s 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

\"FILE<\/p>\n

\n FILE — From right, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni watch a skydiving demo during the G7 world leaders summit at Borgo Egnazia, Italy, Thursday, June 13, 2024. (AP Photo\/Luca Bruno, File) <\/p>\n

FILE — From right, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni watch a skydiving demo during the G7 world leaders summit at Borgo Egnazia, Italy, Thursday, June 13, 2024. (AP Photo\/Luca Bruno, File)<\/p>\n

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\"European<\/p>\n

\n European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, greets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at EU headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. (AP Photo\/Virginia Mayo, File) <\/p>\n

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, greets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at EU headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. (AP Photo\/Virginia Mayo, File)<\/p>\n

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

Meloni\u2019s transformation from nationalist outsider to establishment figure has reassured investors and European leaders.<\/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\u2019s LUISS University.<\/p>\n

Her knack for the balancing act was highlighted during recent tensions with Trump. <\/p>\n

After Trump claimed that 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

<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump meets with Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon, File)<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump meets with Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon, File)<\/p>\n

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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 have increasingly gained influence within governments and European institutions.<\/p>\n

Meloni\u2019s supporters see her evolution as proof that nationalist conservatives can govern responsibly while remaining committed to democratic institutions and Western alliances. <\/p>\n

But Meloni\u2019s willingness to become more moderate has also been viewed as a weakness by some \u2014 and it has opened room for more conservative challengers.<\/p>\n

Retired army Gen. Roberto Vannacci<\/a> \u2014 known for 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 image to European and U.S. allies.<\/p>\n

He 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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ROME (AP) \u2014 In a country where governments are famously short-lived, the perceived success of Italian Premier Giorgia…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1040698,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,1226,416416,69,90,57,37440,285307,133606,2219,3493,606,284382,33993,50,80,416418,284379,416417,103,107],"class_list":["post-1040697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","tag-business","tag-conservatism","tag-david-del-sarto","tag-donald-trump","tag-elections","tag-general-news","tag-giorgia-meloni","tag-giuseppe-conte","tag-guido-crosetto","tag-italy","tag-italy-government","tag-labor","tag-lorenzo-pregliasco","tag-nationalism","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-roberto-vannacci","tag-silvio-berlusconi","tag-stefano-manzocchi","tag-world","tag-world-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117206854613324463","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1040697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1040697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1040697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1040698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1040697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1040697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1040697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}