Rome: Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reached a political milestone on Friday, as her government became the longest-lasting in the history of the Italian Republic after 1,413 days in office, surpassing Silvio Berlusconi's second administration.
The record is notable in a country known for short-lived governments and shifting coalitions, giving Meloni a fresh argument ahead of Italy's next election in 2027, when she will seek a second mandate.
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"Italy has had 68 governments in the last 80 years, roughly one a year," Reuters correspondent Crispian Balmer said. "This time, Meloni has managed to survive three, four years, and there's every prospect that she would go to the end of her term, which is five years."
While Rome has experienced an unusually stable period, several European countries once seen as politically solid have witnessed a steady stream of prime ministers, all of whom have found themselves facing Meloni.
Although many European capitals were wary of her nationalist credentials when she came to power, the prime minister adopted a pragmatic approach, working closely with EU partners and reassuring financial markets.
She has also cast herself as a bridge between Europe and the United States, promoting what she calls the "unity of the West." However, that strategy has not always paid off, and in recent months she has become embroiled in a row with US President Donald Trump, despite the two leaders' ideological proximity.
"The belief in Brussels that she could somehow talk to Trump, convince Trump, tame Trump has proved to be very wide of the mark," Balmer said.
At home, critics argue that Meloni's longevity has not translated into major reforms. Some of her flagship proposals have stalled in parliament, been struck down by courts or failed to win public backing at the ballot box.
Still, Meloni is banking heavily on the record she achieved on Friday, when she overtook the late Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, under whom she had served as youth minister from 2008 to 2011.
"It is now one of her calling cards that she is the woman who has brought stability to Italy," Balmer said. "When she goes to the polls next year, she will say to the Italians: listen, if you want more of this, I am the only person capable of delivering it."
