Toti resigns as Liguria governor, election within 3 months

(ANSA) - GENOA, JUL 26 - Giovanni Toti resigned as Liguria governor on Friday.
    Toti has been under house arrest since May 7 in relation to a corruption probe regarding alleged bribes in which cash for an election campaign was exchanged for favours, including the extension of a port terminal concession.
    The centre-right politician has said he is innocent and will be able to show his management of the northwestern Italian region was clean.
    Last week he was issued with a second house arrest warrant regarding a new accusation concerning election ads projected onto a big screen in Genoa's Terrazza Colombo rooftop allegedly funded via undeclared money from the Esselunga supermarket chain. Giacomo Giampedrone, a member of Toti's outgoing executive, said regional elections would held within 90 days.
    Toti's lawyer Stefano Savi said he will present a new petition for Toti to be released from house arrest on Monday.
    "I leave the region in order," Toti said in a letter released via his lawyer, explaining that he had waited until now to quit to enable the regional assembly to approve the region's balance sheet.
    "I go, proud of the many things done and honored to have worked with many capable, courageous people, who will be able to take this experience further".
    The right-wing League party alleged that the case was "yet another attempt to subvert the popular vote using investigations and arrests.
    "The League will not be intimidated and the citizens will know how to respond democratically, by re-electing the centre-right coalition that has revived the region from every point of view," added the party headed by Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini. (ANSA).