Polls opened in Italy on Sunday in an election that is forecast to return the country's most right-wing government since World War Two and also herald its first woman prime minister, Trend reports citing Reuters.
Voting began at 7 a.m. and will continue until 11 p.m. when exit polls will be published.
However, the complex calculations required by a hybrid proportional/first-past-the-post electoral law mean it may be many hours before a precise seat count is available.
A right-wing alliance led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party appeared on course for a clear victory when the last opinion polls were published two weeks ago. read more
But with a polls blackout in force in the two weeks before the election, there is still scope for a surprise.