When Giorgia Meloni became Italy's prime minister in 2022, many of her political opponents predicted that her government would last no more than six months. In a country long associated with political instability and frequent changes of government, her coalition was widely expected to struggle to survive.
Instead, Meloni is about to set a record for political longevity. On September 4, her government will have been in office for 1,413 consecutive days, making it the longest uninterrupted cabinet since the Italian Republic was founded in 1946.
Meloni will still not hold the record for the greatest total time spent as prime minister. That distinction belongs to Silvio Berlusconi, who served more than nine years across several governments. However, none of Berlusconi's individual cabinets remained in power for as long continuously as Meloni's government has.
Meloni's rise has also defied expectations beyond Italy. Once described by opponents as "the most dangerous woman in Europe," she has developed into one of the European Union's more influential political figures. Rather than producing the isolation and instability predicted by some critics, her coalition has so far delivered political continuity.
