"Expo Standings: Riyadh 70, Roma 50, Busan 30 Votes" Italian Media

Italian Leading Newspaper 'La Repubblica' Reports
"Possibility of Saudi Support Withdrawal... Opportunity Remains Open"

Three countries are competing to host the 2030 World Expo, with reports indicating that Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Rome (Italy), and Busan (Korea) are gaining support in that order.

President Yoon Suk-yeol during the 4th competitive presentation (PT) at the General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE)
Photo by Yonhap News

On the 21st, the leading Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica cited the Rome Expo Bid Committee, analyzing the situation as "Riyadh has secured about 70 votes, Rome about 50 votes, and Busan about 30 votes."

Roberto Gualtieri, Mayor of Rome, stated, "Saudi Arabia is leading, but since the vote is conducted by secret ballot, countries that pledged support to Saudi Arabia may withdraw their support during the actual vote," adding, "The game is still open."

According to major foreign media, France, which declared support for Saudi Arabia last July, indicated on this day that "our support for (Saudi Arabia) is only valid for the first round, as is common in international organizations," and "we will have to see what happens next," suggesting the possibility of supporting Italy instead of Saudi Arabia.

Korea is reportedly viewing the possibility that Busan and Riyadh will advance to the second round of voting, and in that case, plans to gather votes from European countries that supported Rome to Busan’s side to gain a competitive advantage.

Meanwhile, the city to host the 2030 Expo will be decided by a vote of 179 member countries at the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) General Assembly held at the end of November this year. To be selected as the host city, at least two-thirds of the member countries must be present and at least two-thirds of the votes must be in favor.

If no city receives more than two-thirds of the votes, the candidate with the fewest votes will be excluded, and a re-vote will be held. The Expo will be hosted by the city that receives the most votes among the final two candidates.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.