Giorgia Meloni sets Italian post-war longevity record with 1,413 days in power

Post-war longevity record

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reached 1,413 days in office on 4 September 2026, marking the longest continuous administration in Italy since the establishment of the republic in 1946. Meloni, who leads a coalition comprising Fratelli d'Italia, the League, and Forza Italia, surpassed the previous single-government record of 1,412 days held by Silvio Berlusconi's second cabinet. Thousands of supporters celebrated the milestone in the southern port of Bari, where party organizers hosted a public rally with musical performances and local dishes including spaghetti all'assassina. Fratelli d'Italia distributed a 30-page brochure summarizing executive decisions since taking power in October 2022, presenting political durability as proof of international credibility.

Stability is the first major reform offered to the nation. When Italy sits at a table, our nation is taken seriously, it can say no or indicate the path.

Legislative agenda and migration policy

Over nearly four years, the coalition enacted approximately 300 laws and legislative decrees, frequently relying on confidence votes to pass security packages targeting human traffickers, juvenile crime, rave parties, and road blockades. On migration, Fratelli d'Italia reported an 80% decrease in irregular arrivals, while separate reporting attributed a 58% decline to bilateral agreements established with Libya and Tunisia. At the same time, the administration authorized nearly one million work permits for foreign laborers to fill domestic labor shortages in sectors such as agriculture and hospitality. In contrast, the government's flagship project to process asylum seekers in dedicated centres in Albania faced logistical and legal obstacles.

Fiscal indicators and economic criticism

Financial markets reacted calmly to governmental continuity, with the yield spread between Italian and German sovereign bonds narrowing by nearly two-thirds since late 2022. Public accounts recorded a five-point reduction in the national deficit, assisted by higher tax receipts and the termination of prior spending initiatives, alongside 21 billion euros in personal tax cuts. National unemployment fell to 5.8% in July 2026, and party literature recorded over one million additional citizens in employment. However, official forecasts project gross domestic product growth of just 0.6% in 2026, prompting trade union confederation leader Maurizio Landini to criticize frozen real wages and rising expenses for healthcare and fuel.

Stability is an instrument, not an objective; the objective is growth and we have not seen it.

Coalition balance and the 2027 race

Fratelli d'Italia retains 27% voter backing in national polls, slightly ahead of the 26% share won in the 2022 general election, while Meloni's personal approval rating hovers around 40%. Massimiliano Panarari, a communications sociology professor at the University of Modena, observed that Meloni maintained unity across divided coalition allies while attracting moderate voters. The government combined strong Atlanticist support for Ukraine with pragmatic cooperation in Brussels, avoiding previous anti-European rhetoric. With the next general election expected in April 2027, the prime minister intends to make governmental stability the core pillar of her campaign against right-wing rivals such as General Roberto Vannacci.