Calabria, President Occhiuto (under investigation for corruption) resigns but is seeking re-election: "He won't stop me."

The surprise announcement came on his social media channels Thursday evening. Roberto Occhiuto , president of the Calabria Region, who on June 12th had announced in the same way that he was under investigation for corruption in an investigation by the Catanzaro prosecutor's office, is resigning .

But the Forza Italia governor's choice isn't to "give in" to the judiciary; on the contrary, Occhiuto intends to run again for regional leadership , returning to the polls this fall along with Tuscany, Campania, and Veneto. This is because, as Occhiuto emphasizes in the video, "I've decided to tell the Calabrians: you are the ones who write Calabria's future, you are the ones who decide whether Calabria should stop or whether this work should continue. Therefore, in a few weeks, we'll go to the polls, and it will be the Calabrians who decide Calabria's future, not others ."

Occhiuto acclaims the work he's done as regional president, and he does so by filming the Catanzaro subway construction site. "But I could have taken you to many other places in Calabria—to Sibari, to the Sibaritide hospital; to Vibo, to the Vibo hospital; to Palmi; to airport construction sites; to those of the SS106—to show you how much work is being done and how much work they want to stop today," says Occhiuto.

But he doesn't point the finger at the judiciary for dragging him into the corruption investigation: "I've always said that in a complex region like Calabria, magistrates must do their job calmly. On the other hand, I've clarified everything; I have nothing to fear from the judicial investigation ." Occhiuto instead targets "all second-rate politicians, all those who have never achieved anything for Calabria in their political careers over the years. I'm angry with these haters, with these people who are angry with life, who root for Calabria's failure, who are almost happy when people speak badly of Calabria."

The problem, Occhiuto highlighted, concerns those who "use the judicial investigation as a cudgel to politically weaken or kill the regional president: it won't be like that." The Calabrian governor distances himself from the wave of judicial scrutiny: "I believe that in a civilized country, no one should resign because they receive a notice of investigation , no one." But the impact of the investigation against him, which prompted his resignation, has had repercussions on the government's actions: "What's happening in my administration today is that everything is stalled: no one is taking responsibility for signing anything, everyone thinks this experience is like the previous ones."

Occhiuto's mandate would normally have expired in the fall of 2026. After announcing his resignation, the majority forces supporting him in Calabria— Forza Italia, Lega, and Fratelli d'Italia—reaffirmed their support and confidence in him ahead of a return to the polls.