Toti case, what happens now? In Liguria early elections hypothesis
Lega centrale in the regional council. From Mediaset to the Region, the rise of the former Forza Italia exponent aiming for a third term. Pd and M5S call for his resignation
3' min read
3' min read
Giovanni Toti, governor of Liguria, has been at the centre of the judicial storm since 7 May, when he was placed under house arrest on charges of corruption and acts contrary to official duties. While the Lega Nord vice-president assumes pro tempore leadership of the authority, calls for his resignation arrive from the opposition parties and, even in the majority, there are those who do not rule out early elections.
From Berlusconi's dauphin to founder of 'Cambiamo'
.A journalist, news director at Mediaset (Studio Aperto and Tg4) and, for years, a loyal follower of Silvio Berlusconi, Toti was also a dauphin (later cast aside, like all the others who rose to that role) of the founder of Forza Italia. In 2015, he was chosen - he, born in Viareggio in 1968, but a long-time resident of La Spezia - to run for the presidency of the Liguria Region, against the centre-left. A difficult match, so much so that it seemed lost at the start, but instead, unexpectedly, Toti won, surprising, perhaps, Berlusconi himself. Who is beginning to find him unwieldy.
Shortly afterwards, disagreements began between the former premier and the former dauphin and, in 2019, after having entrusted him with the post of Forza Italia coordinator (together with Mara Carfagna), Berlusconi excluded him from the party's presidential coordination. At that time, Toti left Forza Italia and, from his seat as president of the Liguria Region, devoted himself, among other things, to creating a political entity that could bring him back to national prominence.
He founded the centre-right party Cambiamo and, also on the wave of the consensus acquired through the reconstruction, in record time, of the Morandi viaduct (which collapsed on 14 August 2018), he ran in 2020 for a second term as Ligurian governor, winning with over 56% of the votes. He then attempted to re-enter the national arena, in the 2022 elections, with the Noi Moderati list (composed of Noi con l'Italia, Italia al Centro, Coraggio Italia and Udc). The project, however, fails because the list scores well below expectations, settling at around 2 per cent.
Toti, however, does not seem to be discouraged and continues his mandate as Ligurian governor, aiming to change the face of the region, focusing in particular on the development of infrastructure and tourism. Also at stake are Pnrr funds and major works, including the new breakwater in Genoa. And Toti is even entertaining the idea of a third term at the helm of the region.
