Giorgia Meloni on Friday marked a political milestone as her hard-right government became the longest-lasting administration in Italy’s postwar history, with thousands of supporters expected at a rally in Bari while protesters gathered nearby.
Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister, has now led the same government for 1,413 days, surpassing the previous postwar record held by billionaire media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi by one day, reports AFP.
The achievement is significant in a country that has seen 68 governments over the past 80 years. Previous administrations were frequently brought down by political crises and defections, problems Meloni has so far avoided within her coalition.
About 80 coaches are expected to bring supporters to Bari, the capital of the southern Puglia region, for the event organised by Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy (FdI) party. The gathering is being held in a port area capable of accommodating up to 10,000 people, according to organisers.
Meloni is scheduled to address the crowd in the early evening. Her deputy prime ministers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani are also expected to join the event via video link.
The gathering will effectively serve as an election rally ahead of Italy’s 2027 vote.
Festivities will begin with traditional Puglian light displays and DJ performances under the slogan, “Il Governo piu stabile, l’Italia piu forte” (“The Most Stable Government, the Strongest Italy”).
Speakers will highlight what the government considers its main achievements since taking office nearly four years ago, including more than one million additional people in employment and a 21-billion-euro ($24 billion) reduction in personal income taxes.
Italy’s fiscal stability has also improved significantly despite its heavy debt burden. Critics, however, argue that greater fiscal stability has not resulted in stronger economic growth.
“Have wages increased? No. Petrol costs more, job insecurity has increased, people are retiring less and the healthcare system is functioning less effectively,” Maurizio Landini, head of the CGIL trade union, said ahead of the event.
Security and migration
Meloni has argued that Italy’s influence internationally has grown during her tenure, although her early relationship with US President Donald Trump deteriorated sharply after she criticised him for attacking the pope.
Her governing coalition, which includes the far-right, anti-immigrant League and right-wing Forza Italia, has passed around 300 laws and decrees. Most have focused on what the government describes as “security” threats, ranging from petty criminals to ravers and climate protesters.
The Brothers of Italy, which has neo-Fascist roots, won the 2022 election after campaigning on a pledge to curb illegal migration. The party says its policies have reduced migrant arrivals by 80 per cent.
However, analysts say the government will need to offer more than a record of its past achievements as the next election approaches.
Meloni “will also have to say how she intends to use these last months ahead of the vote — a very interesting question”, Flavia Perina, an editorialist with La Stampa daily, told a press conference in Rome on Thursday.
While partygoers enjoy Bari’s traditional “Assassin Spaghetti”, a dish made with a spicy, smoky sauce, opponents of the government are preparing to demonstrate in the city’s historic centre.
Protest organisers accuse Meloni’s government of building a “war and weapons economy” and a “police state”, while also fuelling hostility towards migrants.
The political climate has also helped a challenger gain ground. The rival, a former general whose party is positioned even further to the far right than Meloni’s, was not invited to the celebrations.
The party’s rapid rise has seen it overtake both the League and Forza Italia in the polls.
