Meloni's longevity record masks a South still waiting for its share

Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government has become Italy's longest-lasting since World War II, surpassing the record set by Silvio Berlusconi between 2001 and 2005, France 24 reported. The government has now been in power for 1,413 days, a notable achievement in a country that has had 68 governments in the last 80 years. When she took office in 2022, many European allies viewed her with unease given her party's neo-fascist roots, yet she has governed pragmatically, working within EU institutions.

The record was confirmed on Friday, and foreign coverage has been quick to note that it belies considerable challenges ahead of elections next year. France 24's analysis, featuring Istituto Affari Internazionali Director Nathalie Tocci, described the prime minister's success as '50% savvy political tactics, 50% extraordinarily good luck.' The Guardian reported that the rise of far-right leader Roberto Vannacci and his Futuro Nazionale party poses questions about whether Meloni will return to her roots before the vote.

For Calabria, the longevity record is a reminder of how little the region's structural problems have featured in the national conversation. The South — with its high unemployment, emigration of the young and dependence on remittances — has not been central to the government's stated priorities, which have focused on tax reform, relations with Brussels and migration control. The foreign press has noted the government's stability but has not reported any corresponding shift in the development prospects of the Mezzogiorno.

The Guardian's coverage of Vannacci's rise suggests the political ground is shifting beneath Meloni even as she celebrates her record. A challenge from the far right could push the government toward harder positions on migration and social issues, themes that resonate differently in a region like Calabria, which sits on the Mediterranean migration frontier and has seen its own reception models — such as the Riace experiment — become national flashpoints.

France 24 noted that Italy has had 68 governments in the last 80 years, a statistic that underscores the fragility of the country's political institutions. Meloni's achievement is real, but it is measured against a low bar. As the foreign press frames it, the question now is not whether she can survive — she has — but what she will do with the remaining time before the election, and whether the South will finally figure in the answer.