In a sudden, dramatic, and unexpected move, Calabria Governor Roberto Occhiuto has resigned and announced his immediate re-election bid. “In a few weeks, it will be the people of Calabria who decide the future of Calabria, not others,” he declared in a social media video titled ‘I won’t be stopped, I resign and re-run’.
The decision is linked to a corruption investigation by Catanzaro prosecutors. However, Occhiuto claimed his resignation aims to prevent the stalling of regional projects, stating: “Who wants to stop them? The judiciary? No – I have no issue with the judiciary. Magistrates must do their job serenely in a complex region like Calabria. I have clarified everything; I have nothing to fear from this investigation.” The governor, questioned by prosecutors last week after requesting an extension notice, reported feeling “satisfied and greatly relieved” afterwards, telling journalists: “I think I clarified everything and expect a very swift dismissal.”
Occhiuto directed his anger instead at “minor politicians who achieved nothing for Calabria in years. I resent these haters, people angry with life, who root for Calabria’s failure and are almost happy when the region is maligned. They use the investigation as a club to weaken or politically kill the regional president: it won’t work.”
He framed the resignation and snap election as a move to avoid political “killing” by remaining mired in deadlock. While convinced one “shouldn’t resign over a notice of investigation,” Occhiuto explained his administration now stalls: “No one takes responsibility to sign anything; everyone thinks this experience is like previous ones.” He recalled how past Calabrian governors faced investigations in their final legislative year: “Often archived, ending in nothing, yet they were politically decapitated, halting legislation. We talked only about that for a year.”
Calabria “cannot allow this,” he insisted, as the region “has started a journey finally lifting it off its knees compared to other Italian regions.” The resignation announcement comes on the eve of a three-day conference on Southern Italy in Reggio Calabria, starting tomorrow, hosting Forza Italia’s top brass including party leader, Deputy PM, and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, alongside ministers, undersecretaries, and party MPs – a gathering now inevitably dominated by this development.
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