Far-right Vannacci's rise challenges Meloni as she marks longevity record

As Giorgia Meloni's government on Friday became the longest-lasting in Italy's postwar history, a new political challenge is emerging from her right flank. Roberto Vannacci, leader of the Futuro Nazionale party, has seen a speedy rise in the polls that poses questions about whether the Prime Minister will return to her roots before next year's election, the Guardian reported.

The longevity milestone — Meloni has now surpassed the record set by Silvio Berlusconi between 2001 and 2005, according to France 24 — coincides with a period of intense instability in Italian politics that has seen 68 governments in the last 80 years. Yet the celebration is complicated by Vannacci's surge, which threatens to split the conservative vote.

France 24's analysis attributes Meloni's durability to a formula of '50% savvy political tactics, 50% extraordinarily good luck,' noting that she has governed pragmatically, working within EU institutions despite her party's neo-fascist roots. The challenge from Vannacci now tests whether that pragmatism has cost her the loyalty of the hard right.

The political dynamics playing out in Rome have a distinct echo in Liguria, a region where the centre-right has traditionally found support in the port cities and along the Riviera. Meloni's Brothers of Italy party has held ground here, but the Vannacci factor introduces a new variable into a region already watching national politics with the caution of a maritime republic that prizes stability.

The Guardian's report notes that Vannacci's Futuro Nazionale party has risen quickly in opinion polls, though it did not provide specific figures for Liguria. What is clear from the foreign coverage is that the challenge is not merely ideological but structural: Vannacci appeals to voters who feel Meloni has become too establishment, too comfortable with Brussels, too far from the anti-system posture that brought her to power.

For Liguria's electorate, which has shown a pragmatic streak in its voting patterns — favouring infrastructure investment and port development over ideological purity — the choice between Meloni's proven governance and Vannacci's more radical appeal will be a test of priorities. The region's economy depends on stable national government for port funding, motorway maintenance and coastal protection, all of which have been areas of focus for the current administration.

The longevity record itself carries a particular weight in a country that has seen 68 governments since the war, a statistic France 24 highlighted in its coverage. For a region like Liguria that has weathered the Morandi bridge collapse and its aftermath, the value of political continuity is not abstract. Whether Meloni can hold her coalition together against Vannacci's challenge will determine whether that continuity extends beyond the current term.