Meloni marks longevity at Bari rally as South waits on promises

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni marked her government's status as the longest-lasting in the country's postwar history with a rally in Bari on Friday, according to Euronews. The event in Puglia's capital came as her coalition celebrated 1,413 days in office, surpassing the record previously held by Silvio Berlusconi, as France 24 reported.

The choice of Bari was not incidental. Puglia sits at the heart of Italy's southern question, the enduring economic gap between the industrialised North and the agricultural South that foreign coverage of Italy returns to year after year. Euronews noted the durability of Meloni's coalition has been a rarity in postwar Italy, where governments have often fallen before the end of their mandates.

The rally drew attention to what the foreign press describes as a record built on political skill rather than transformative policy. France 24's political analyst Lorenzo Pregliasco argued Meloni's longevity is best understood as the product of careful tactics, not simply political strength, while the left-leaning press has called her leadership a fiasco.