How did Italian politics become stable?

Italy has long been associated with political instability, with governments on average lasting just over a year.

Current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has broken that pattern. Her government has become the longest continuously serving administration in post-war Italian history, surpassing the previous record for a single uninterrupted period in office. Meloni has presented the stability of her own right-wing coalition as one of her government’s major achievements.

A general election must take place next year. As that approaches, she faces fresh challenges, including the emergence of new opposition on the right.

Meanwhile, the current government’s longevity record raises a bigger question about whether Italy has entered a new era of political stability, and what has made that possible. So how did Italian politics become stable?

(Photo: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivers her speech to celebrate the government's record-breaking longevity at Porto di Bari on September 4, 2026 in Bari, Italy. Credit: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

Contributors

Rosario Forlenza, associate professor at Luiss University, Italy
Nathalie Tocci, professor of practise at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Italy
Leila Simona Talani, professor of International Political Economy and Director of the Centre for Italian Politics at King's College London, UK
Lorenzo Pregliasco, adjunct professor at the University of Bologna and co-founder of YouTrend polling agency, Italy

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Amelia Cox
Technical producer: Cameron Ward
Production co-ordinator: Ellie Dover
Production management assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood