Narrow Victory for Bucci in the Week of Dossier Scandal
A photo finish victory for Marco Bucci, following a neck-and-neck race that left everyone holding their breath once the polls closed. By 8:50 p.m. on Monday, with only 200 sections left to count, the center-right candidate had edged out Democrat Andrea Orlando by two points. Thus, Marco Bucci becomes the President of Liguria: the mayor of Genoa, representing the center-right, defeated his center-left opponent, with 48.8% of the votes compared to Orlando’s 47.3%, while voter turnout reached approximately 46%.
What does this victory mean? Many have interpreted it more as a confirmation of the center-left’s failed political strategy than an endorsement of the center-right. Following the situation that led to Toti’s resignation, there were strong indications that the region’s political direction could change. The center-left initially held a considerable advantage in public opinion but was unable to capitalize on it effectively.
As the Ligurians voted, a significant discussion was unfolding across the country, albeit with less fanfare than anticipated, over the Equalize case. An investigation by the Milan anti-mafia office uncovered one of the most severe threats to national data security in recent Italian history. The extraction of 15 terabytes of sensitive information through the company Equalize Ltd., with connections to the UK and Lithuania, implicated high-ranking figures like President Sergio Mattarella, Senate President Ignazio La Russa, and former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. The use of servers in Lithuania and a data center in London, as revealed by wiretaps involving Nunzio Samuele Calamucci, highlights the transnational nature of these cyber threats. Particularly concerning is the alleged interest of foreign intelligence agencies in acquiring these data, as Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani noted, explicitly mentioning possible Russian interests. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke openly of a risk of “subversion,” while Justice Minister Carlo Nordio confirmed the existence of a true “conspiracy.” The illicit access to the Ministry of Interior’s Investigation System (Sdi) compromised both sensitive investigative data and citizens’ banking and tax information. Moreover, it involved eavesdropping on confidential institutional communications and seizing personal data from key state figures. This case has reignited focus on the importance of cybersecurity, especially in the context of international tensions stemming from the two conflicts shaking global security: those in Ukraine and the Middle East. These conflicts were also addressed by the United Nations Security Council in recent days, especially regarding the latest decisions by Israel’s Knesset.
The Knesset recently passed two laws concerning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). If implemented, these laws could likely prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, as mandated by the United Nations General Assembly. UNRWA is the primary mechanism for delivering essential aid to Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories, and the enforcement of these laws could have devastating consequences. For this reason, the UN Security Council, in a unanimously adopted statement, urged the Israeli government to honor its international obligations, emphasizing that UNRWA “remains the backbone of all humanitarian response” in the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, it called on all parties to allow UNRWA to fulfill its mandate and “take necessary steps” to facilitate and enable aid to Gaza’s civilians. Only the coming days will reveal Israel’s actual response, though much will depend on the outcome of the upcoming U.S. presidential election on November 5.
