Giorgia Meloni in Bari to celebrate her government’s longevity: “Stability is our great reform”

Celebrations have begun in Bari to mark the day on which the Meloni government surpasses all others in the history of the Republic in terms of length of tenure. Marcello Gemmato, Apulian Under-Secretary for Health, opened the event. “We are writing a chapter in the history of our Republic,” he said. Following Gemmato’s opening address, entrepreneurs, farmers and students will take turns on stage. Political speakers include European Commissioner Raffaele Fitto, the leader of Noi Moderati Maurizio Lupi, and Deputy Prime Ministers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani (via video link). Giorgia Meloni will bring the event to a close.

Given the reason for the rally, the Prime Minister began by highlighting the longevity of her government: “Stability,” she said, “has been our first major reform. Italy is no longer the country under scrutiny in Europe. We used to be the ones constantly changing governments; at international meetings, our counterparts would ask, ‘How long will this one last?’. Anyone treated like that cannot negotiate; they cannot assert their own interests. With stability,’ she added, ‘you can dictate decisions rather than suffer them; you can chart the course.’ Meloni did not deny that she had also experienced difficult times during her years at Palazzo Chigi: “There were days when I felt as though I were swimming in glue, but I never gave up and I have no intention of doing so now,” she said. Not least because “it hasn’t been a particularly fortunate period,” the president remarked with a touch of irony before listing all the major international events of recent years. From the chaos in the Middle East to the Hormuz crisis, from skyrocketing fuel prices to the landslide on Ischia, the floods in Emilia-Romagna, terrorism and youth gangs. “Nothing has been missing,” she remarked, “but I say this only to remind each and every one of us that a nation without leadership would have paid a very high price; the citizens would have paid it. Stability has not been a mere luxury but a shield; thanks to this stability, we have protected this nation.”

The Prime Minister, however, feels that the emotional bond with the country still holds strong. “The most stable government is not necessarily the most capable; the most stable government is simply the one that has had more time than the others to be judged – and that judgement comes from you, through your presence and enthusiasm. It is you, together with the millions of Italians who still stand by us. This is what we should be proud of – not that we have been in government for 1,413 days, but that we still enjoy a higher level of public support than we did on the very first day.”

The Prime Minister also claimed victory in the battle over the electoral law: “We propose that in the forthcoming elections and those that follow, Italians should be able to choose the coalition, the manifesto and the candidate to be put forward to the Head of State. This means no sudden reversals, no political manoeuvring behind closed doors as the PD would like to do once again, and having five years to govern.” Meloni also thanked her allies: "None of this would have been possible without Matteo Salvini and the Lega, Antonio Tajani and Forza Italia, or Maurizio Lupi and Noi Moderati. It is no coincidence that the three longest-serving governments are all centre-right governments."