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Italians flocked to polling booths Sunday to vote in a general election that could unseat Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the media tycoon whose five years in power were marked by economic stagnation.

Polling stations across the country were busy at the start of a two-day election that could see the return to power of Romano Prodi, leader of a broad center-left coalition.

"I slept very well, it's a beautiful sunny day and I hope everything finishes in the best possible way," said Prodi as he voted in his home town of Bologna in northern Italy.

The softly spoken "professor" is favorite to beat the flamboyant Berlusconi whom he has accused of economic mismanagement and embarrassing Italy with a constant stream of gaffes and misjudged remarks.

Berlusconi, the US Government's strongest ally in continental Europe and Italy's richest man, still hopes his promises of tax cuts will swing a surprise victory. But even he spoke of possible defeat in the final days of campaigning.

Opinion polls have not been published in two weeks, but Prodi, who beat Berlusconi in a general election 10 years ago, has led the race since returning to Italian politics in 2004 from a five-year stint as head of the European Commission.

The acrimonious campaign, in which Berlusconi used offensive language against center-left voters and Prodi compared his rival to a drunk, has turned the vote into something of a referendum on the prime minister's term as head of a conservative alliance.

"The Berlusconi government was all about money, money, money. Prodi will promote a more cultured society and offer hope to young people," said Donatella Lega, a language school worker.

Valerio Scoyni, a tourism industry employee, said he voted for Berlusconi but added: "I think Prodi is going to win. The election campaign was totally dominated by Berlusconi and this obscured some of the good things the government did."

Controversial text messages

In a final bout of feuding, the opposition lodged a formal complaint over text messages Berlusconi's party sent to selected Italians' mobile phones on Saturday, during a period when there was supposed to be a moratorium on campaigning.

Whoever wins will inherit the unenviable task of cutting the world's third-largest national debt pile while trying to breathe new life into a struggling economy that grew an average of 0.6 percent a year under Berlusconi.

Pundits say Berlusconi stands the greatest chance of survival if there is a large turnout, as center-right voters are generally less politically motivated than those on the left.

A new voting system rushed into law in December also means that whoever wins is likely to enjoy a smaller parliamentary majority than the outgoing administration, especially in the Senate, which has a key role in passing legislation.

That has raised fears of a return to the "revolving-door" leadership which Berlusconi, elected in 2001, ended by becoming the head of Italy's longest serving post-war government.

(China Daily April 10, 2006)