Meloni government becomes Italy’s longest-lasting

ROME

This handout picture taken and released by Quirinale Press Office on October 21, 2022 shows President of the Italian party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) and Italian designated Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (AFP Photo / QUIRINALE PRESS OFFICE)

Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right government on Sept. 4 becomes the longest-lasting in Italy’s postwar history, a notable record that belies considerable challenges ahead of elections next year.

In a country once a byword for political instability, Italy’s first woman leader will have been in charge of the same administration for 1,413 days, one more than the late Silvio Berlusconi managed during one of his four stints in office.

“It is certainly a point of pride,” Marco Osnato, a prominent lawmaker with Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, told AFP of the milestone.

The record is likely to boost the prime minister’s image as Italy, which has had almost 70 governments over the past 80 years, gears up for a national vote in 2027, analysts say.

With FdI constantly topping opinion polls, it might seem Meloni is on track for a repeat of her 2022 win.

But recent events have complicated the path to re-election, said Lorenzo Pregliasco, of the YouTrend polling institute.

This year Meloni was undermined by a justice reform referendum defeat that showed voters there “may be an alternative majority” to the coalition currently in power, Pregliasco said.

However, the government, which enjoys an ample parliamentary majority, has failed to tackle the structural issues that many believe hold Italy back, critics say.