For the first time since World War II: The record broken by the Italian Prime Minister

In Italy, where governments tend to change frequently, Giorgia Meloni has managed to do what many of her predecessors could not: stay in power.

Today, Thursday, after 1,413 days, Meloni's conservative government became the longest-serving government in Italy since World War II. In doing so, she surpassed the record set by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose government served between 2001 and 2005.

None of the 68 governments that have served in Italy during the 80 years of the republic have completed a full five-year term without interruption. Berlusconi was close to it, but a political crisis forced him to resign briefly in 2005 before forming a new government. Meloni and her party are expected to mark the achievement tomorrow, Friday, at a large rally ahead of the elections in the city of Bari in southern Italy.

Meloni took office in October 2022 and was the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Italy. Her government was also the first to be led by a party with neo-fascist roots, a fact that raised concerns among her allies in Europe and in the financial markets. However, Meloni managed the government pragmatically. She maintained firm support for Ukraine after the full-scale Russian invasion, acted within European institutions, and adopted a policy of fiscal discipline. Her relationship with US President Donald Trump also became one of her most prominent assets in foreign policy - at least at the beginning of the journey.

While political instability has shaken governments in other European countries, including the UK and France, Meloni has managed to maintain the same coalition since taking office. This is a rare phenomenon in modern Italian politics, and it has become one of the pillars of her campaign for another term.

"Meloni is reaping some of what she sowed," Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told the AP news agency. According to him, he knows very few people as "determined, hardworking, precise, and thorough" as she is, who have sacrificed their personal lives to serve the institutions. According to him, she is "reaping exactly what she deserves in terms of international credibility." However, he added: "She is not reaping the same at the Italian level."

Ahead of the next elections, which must be held by the end of 2027, there is no real debate about Meloni's ability to govern. The central question is whether voters believe her government has achieved enough to win another term.

Her supporters point to an improvement in public finances, the cancellation of expensive measures, the addition of more than a million jobs, an unemployment rate of less than 6%, and youth unemployment rates that are at a new low. They also point to a sharp decline in the arrival of migrants. Meloni claims that the achievements stem from policies that support businesses and job creators. "The government's strategy has focused on supporting those who create wealth and jobs," she said at a recent work event. "We have reached a record in the number of employed people."

However, her critics argue that many of Italy's persistent problems remain unresolved. Low productivity, demographic decline, and long-standing inefficiency in the health, education, and public administration systems remain largely unaddressed. "Meloni's government is certainly stable and long-lived, but it has not achieved much in terms of structural reforms," said analyst and pollster Lorenzo Pregliasco.

Opposition leaders argue that the Meloni government has yet to find concrete ways to encourage long-term economic growth, beyond controlling public debt and the state deficit.

Meloni's supporters see the change she has undergone as proof that national conservatives can manage a country responsibly, while remaining committed to democratic institutions and alliances with Western countries. However, Meloni's willingness to moderate is also seen as a weakness by some of her former supporters. The change has opened space for more conservative competitors.

Retired General Roberto Vannacci, who is identified with hardline positions on immigration and national identity, has become a prominent voice on the far right in Italy and is even threatening Meloni by forming his own political party.

According to him, Meloni has abandoned many of the combative promises that excited her political base, and chose instead to present an establishment-friendly image to her allies in Europe and the United States. He may succeed in attracting to his party conservative voters and parliamentarians who believe that Meloni has become too moderate in the pursuit of stability.