Sassari's rector election, with 194 votes up for grabs between Chessa and Morandi.

One more day to go until the election of the new rector of the University of Sassari. Tomorrow, a runoff will be held between Omar Chessa and Francesco Morandi, professors of Constitutional Law and Tourism and Navigation Law, respectively. The two professors are the survivors of the second round of voting, held last Wednesday, which saw Sergio Uzzau, professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, emerge in third place, having received 194 votes. These votes will be crucial in appointing the academic leadership of the Sassari university. While the suggestion of an agreement between Chessa and Uzzau to divert funding to the former has been dismissed, attention in recent days has shifted to what the doctor wrote in a letter to the academic staff.

In this, he outlines the issues, he reports, "that I consider essential and on which I hope clear commitments can be made before the vote." Specifically, he calls for "clear discontinuity" and "full autonomy from the outgoing rector," to ensure "a transparent review" of the new Olbia Department, and to establish "a team of Pro-Rectors with recognized scientific and institutional standing."

Finally, the requests call for "a new agreement with technical, administrative, and library staff" and for a general director to be chosen from among those with "managerial experience in Italian universities."

All points endorsed by Omar Chessa, who, in turn, wrote in a letter: "They are largely consistent with the lines I have supported in recent months." All this, those in the know report, does not automatically mean a transfer of votes to the latter, especially since, it would appear, some departments do not express a unified position for one candidate or the other. "And the possibility of many blank ballots is high, which would be a significant sign. Just as a narrow victory is indicative of a divided university," is the view of those involved in the University.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the technical and administrative staff, Morandi, in addition to also calling for a director general with experience in the university field, calls for collegiality: "The decisions that affect our University must be shared, discussed, and developed together." Chessa also echoes the same sentiment: "The next Rector must unite the University, not divide it into winners and losers."

The feeling is that the two contenders will be battling it out until the very end, and this time, the one with the most votes will win. In the event of a tie, which is unlikely, the polls will reopen on September 30th.