How many governments have changed in Europe since Meloni took office at Palazzo Chigi?

The record for the longest-serving government in the history of the Republic, which Giorgia Meloni is set to celebrate on a stage erected in the port of Bari, carries with it numerous implications that extend far beyond national borders. Usually disparaged abroad as the home of ‘spaghetti politics’ – a byword for political and economic instability – Italy has, in the space of just a few years, come to represent almost the opposite. The coalition led by Fratelli d’Italia is, in fact, a rare example of a government that has remained in power during a historic period of chronic instability and rampant populism. To appreciate this, one need only look back to Giorgia Meloni’s arrival at Palazzo Chigi on that now-distant 22 October 2022, and observe what has changed since then in the governments of other European countries.

The most stark comparison is with the United Kingdom, fresh from its record-breaking succession of prime ministers. At the time the Meloni government took office, the Conservative Liz Truss was in residence at Downing Street; she was the last prime minister appointed under Queen Elizabeth II and the shortest-serving head of government in British history, having led the country for just 49 days. In fact, just three days after Meloni’s arrival, Truss resigned to make way for Rishi Sunak, who would later be defeated in the July 2024 general election in one of the most crushing defeats in Tory history. For their part, Labour, back in government after 14 years, have already seen their first leadership change with the appointment of Andy Burnham to replace Keir Starmer.

Germany, too, has seen changes at the helm of the country: whilst in October 2022 the leadership of Chancellor Olaf Scholz – who the previous year had led the Social Democrats (SPD) to become the largest party in the Bundestag for the first time since 1998 – still appeared solid, within two years the situation had changed radically. In December 2024, Scholz was voted out of office by the federal parliament and called a snap election, which saw the CDU, led by Friedrich Merz, return to power.

The fate of those countries once known as the ‘frugal states’ has been no happier: Austria has seen three chancellors (Nehammer, Schallenberg and, finally, Christian Stocker, currently in office) since Meloni took office, whilst remaining within the historic Austrian People’s Party. The situation in the Netherlands, however, is more chaotic: in October 2022, the post of prime minister was still held by the current NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte (the longest-serving head of government in the country’s history, having served for 14 years across four terms). However, both Rutte’s government and the one that followed (the most right-wing in the country’s history, which included Geert Wilders’ PVV) split over the issue of immigration, paving the way for the current centre-left government led by Rob Jetten.

In Eastern Europe, no fewer than three governments have fallen in 2023 alone. The prime ministers of Poland and Slovakia were both ousted in votes of no confidence and replaced by more moderate politicians (Mateusz Morawiecki by Donald Tusk and Eduard Heger by Ludovit Odor). In Latvia, however, the conservative Arturs Karins stepped down in favour of his party colleague Evika Silina, whose government subsequently split due to internal differences over anti-Russian defence policies. Andris Kulbergs is currently at the helm of the government and will remain in office until the parliamentary elections on 3 October.

Turning to France, few factors illustrate the difficulties of Macron’s presidency better than the constant turnover of prime ministers: prior to Sébastien Lecornu, who has been in office since September 2025, Élisabeth Borne, Gabriel Attal, Jean Barnier and François Bayrou have all held the post since Meloni’s appointment. Portugal, another semi-presidential system, also saw a change of leadership between 2023 and 2024, with the resignation of António Costa (now President of the European Council) and the election of Luís Montenegro.

The Meloni government may find a sort of ‘twin’ in Europe, at least in terms of timing: the centre-right Swedish government led by Ulf Kristersson, which took office four days before its Italian counterpart. The government in Stockholm is set to face an election in ten days’ time, and its main opponent is a rapidly growing far-right populist party, Jimmie Akesson’s Sweden Democrats. The political party, which is anti-European in its outlook and promotes the defence of national identity, has frequently been accused of racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

Much could be said about the reasons for Italy’s stability amidst this chaos. Certainly, as Claudio Cerasa, editor-in-chief of Il Foglio, has written, some key factors in the government’s success are the clear majority secured in the 2022 elections, a coalition that has been able to manage internal tensions, and a weak opposition that has never managed to put the majority under pressure.