Meloni government overtakes Berlusconi II in longevity record, with party celebration

Giorgia Meloni’s government has moved past the longevity record of Silvio Berlusconi’s second cabinet, which served for 1,412 days from June 11, 2001, to April 23, 2005. Meloni, prime minister since October 22, 2022, is now both Italy’s first woman prime minister and the leader of the country’s longest-serving single government.

Fratelli d’Italia prepared a celebration in Bari, including a roughly 30-second video showing images from nearly four years in office. Alongside a counter reaching 1,413 days, the video displays a figure for “new stable jobs,” ending at an increase of 1,305,000. The party’s slogan is: “The most stable government, a stronger Italy.”

The party also planned to distribute a 28-page booklet titled “The most stable government, a stronger Italy. Records and results.” Its list covers employment, family support, taxes, security, health, education and sport. The booklet says the employment rate reached a historic high of 62.9%, general unemployment fell to 5.7% and youth unemployment reached a historic low of 18.4%.

It also cites an increase in paid parental leave compensation to 80% of salary in 2026 and says tax and income-tax reforms put more than €21 billion into Italians’ pockets. Other figures include a 65.6% fall in the spread during the year, an 80% decline in arrivals between January and July, a 60% increase in repatriations in 2025 compared with 2021, and the government’s Mattei Plan for cooperation with Africa.

The booklet lists anti-crime operations, including 108 fugitives captured, 278 major operations, 4,177 arrests and 18,000 confiscated assets. It also cites a 13.49% increase in national health funding in 2026 and a fall in the school dropout rate to 7.3%, from 11.5% four years earlier. Preparations continued at Bari’s port, where organizers expected around 10,000 participants and said about 80 buses had already been arranged.