Meloni Sets a Record, Leading Italy’s Longest-serving Government Since WWII

As supporters celebrate the milestone, analysts warn longevity is not tantamount to stability. In the mountain resort of Abetone Cutigliano, nestled in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, supporters of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are celebrating. On Friday, the Italian leader and her party set a record – leading the country’s longest-lasting government since World War II.

Famed for political instability, Italy has seen 68 governments in eight decades. While the late Silvio Berlusconi keeps the title of longest-serving premier, having held the premiership for a longer period over four terms, the government led by the far-right Brothers of Italy has now overtaken his record of 1,412 consecutive days in power. Abetone Cutigliano, the prime destination for skiing enthusiasts, was one of the municipalities that made the accomplishment possible, overwhelmingly voting for Meloni’s party in the national elections of October 2022. Andrea Tonarelli, a councillor with Brothers of Italy’s local branch, said a seafront celebratory event is being held to mark the occasion.

“Those of us who can’t go will gather at the party’s local office to watch the rally, the 35-year-old told Al Jazeera. For Tonarelli, an engineer for the municipality, the milestone is a “point of pride”. “Ten years ago, this result would have been unthinkable, he said.

“I feel emotional saying this, but the merit goes to those people who were able to get hold of the youth like me. A self-professed mountain dweller who joined Brothers of Italy in 2017, Tonarelli said he was enticed by the party’s opposition to the left’s “armchair environmentalism” that restricts hunting, thwarts big infrastructure projects and opposes selective woods logging. He also embraced the party’s “patriotic” resolve to put Italians first”, including through border protection and the promotion of local products and traditional heritage.

Our main characteristic is believing in what we do and giving it our 100 percent, he said. This is not a milestone reached by Giorgia Meloni, by the party, or by a single militant. This is a milestone by an entire community that makes history in this nation.

Grazia Di Maggio, the youngest member of the Chamber of Deputies for Brothers of Italy, hailed the government’s record-breaking longevity as profoundly symbolic”. Giorgia Meloni is the first woman to hold the office of prime minister and she comes from a right-wing background, which means no shortcuts and no favouritism, the 31-year-old told Al Jazeera, hinting at Italy’s rebuke of Benito Mussolini’s totalitarian dictatorship and subsequent weariness of far-right ideologies. Meloni has sought to distance herself from fascism, declaring in 2022 that the Italian right had handed the ideology over to history”.

For Di Maggio, who left the southern region of Basilicata at the age of 18 and started her political career leafleting while pursuing a degree in communications in Milan, Meloni’s accomplishment sets an example. It’s a story that shows that passion, sacrifice and personal value can make a difference, she said. It demonstrates that a right-wing government can be credible, stable and uphold its responsibilities.

Analysts have questioned Brothers of Italy’s claim to a newfound political stability. Political stability is not measured by the government’s longevity, Paolo Carusi, a lecturer in contemporary history at Roma Tre University, told Al Jazeera. In previous decades, governments would fall but political ideologies would remain stalwart, Carusi said.

The current political scene is characterised by voter volatility … Italians don’t feel like voting any more – and if they do, they tend to reward parties that run for the first time. Carusi argued that two main factors enabled Meloni’s government to survive longer than others. First, Italy’s latest electoral law, dating back to 2018 and applied to the 2022 election that brought Meloni to power, worked to her advantage by allowing the right-wing coalition to obtain an absolute majority.

Second, Brothers of Italy gave up on much of its electoral programme to maintain stability, unlike previous governments that had alienated coalition partners by pursuing their own agendas. As a result, Meloni is now grappling with the rapid ascent of a new far-right party led by former army general Roberto Vannacci, which has become the country’s fourth most popular political force only seven months after its launch.