Italians go to the polls
Italians were lining up at the polls today to choose between conservative media baron Silvio Berlusconi as their next leader or the centre-left coalition that has governed for the last five years.
Turn-out is traditionally well over 80% in Italy, which has 49.5 million voters, and early voting appeared heavy.
Centre-left leader Francesco Rutelli waited in line for more than an hour to vote, but he wasn’t unhappy about it. A big turn-out, he said, favours the centre-left.
‘‘We think this is a good sign,’’ he said as he left the polling place.
The centre-left goes into the election with some solid economic accomplishments, among them guiding Italy into the charter club of the common European currency. But it was handicapped by internal bickering throughout its five years in power and Rutelli, 46, was the underdog in the race.
The campaign was a bitter one dominated by personalities rather than issues. Berlusconi belittled Rutelli, mayor of Rome until he was asked to lead the centre-left ticket, throughout the campaign and refused to debate him.
The election represents Berlusconi’s big chance at a comeback. He served as premier for seven months in 1994 and has been intent on regaining power ever since. He tried and failed in 1996.
The 64-year-billionaire has been dogged by questions about conflicts of interest throughout the campaign. Berlusconi presides over a financial empire worth more than $12bn (£16bn).
Questions also persist about his choice of allies - the once-fascist National Alliance and the often xenophobic Northern League. Berlusconi’s forces in Sicily also allied with the Tricolor Flame, an openly neofascist party.
Both he and Rutelli pledged tax relief for a country where the middle-class can pay 40% plus in income tax.
Rutelli claimed that Berlusconi’s vow to increase pension payments while drastically slashing taxes would jeopardise Italy’s participation in the euro.
