Marco Bucci Wins Ligurian Regional Election

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's candidate, Marco Bucci, has narrowly won the Liguria regional election, securing 48.8% of the vote against his center-left rival Andrea Orlando's 47.3%. This victory comes in the wake of the resignation of former governor Giovanni Toti, who stepped down amid corruption allegations. The election reflects Meloni's ongoing political strength, as she recently marked two years in office with favorable national poll numbers. The result is detrimental to Italy's divided opposition, which had hoped to consolidate power through the Democratic Party (PD) and the Five Star Movement. Despite the loss, the PD remains the most popular party in Liguria, garnering approximately 28.5% of the votes, while turnout decreased to just under 46%. Meloni's coalition now controls 14 out of 20 regions in Italy, with additional regional elections on the horizon.