One of Italy's most bitterly fought general election campaigns is in its final day, with wisecracks from one of the country's most famousactors increasing tensions.
Media tycoon Mr Silvio Berlusconi for the centre-right and formerRome mayor Mr Francesco Rutelli for the centre-left are due to maketheir last appeals on taped television programmes and at closingrallies tonight.
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Campaigning is due to end at midnight (11 p.m. Irish time), afterwhich Italians will get a welcome 24-hour respite from comments bycandidates, who are obliged by law to observe a day of silence aheadof Sunday's elections.
As insults and accusations flew between the two sides actor RobertoBenigni brought some levity to occasion last night in a televisioninterview.
The director and star of Life is Beautiful, which won threeOscars in 1999, was interviewed on state television's Channel One.
"I don't want to talk about politics. I want to talk aboutBerlusconi...I want to be completely neutral on this - I don't likeBerlusconi and I like Rutelli," Benigni joked.
"In these days we are hearing about some unbelievable things: thePope visits a mosque, children are genetically modified andBerlusconi is a (candidate for) premier," he said.
He (Berlusconi) always wants to be the centre of attention. Ifthere's a rally he wants to speak. If there is a wedding, he wants tobe the groom. At a funeral, he wants to be the dead man," Benigniquipped.
The centre-right attacked Benigni and state broadcaster RAI forallowing the comic to go on the air, which they said proved onceagain that the network was a servant of the centre-left.
Benigni aside, there was little political levity as both Mr Rutelliand Mr Berlusconi gave interviews to newspapers mostly repeatingtheir stands on everything from taxes to terrorism.
MrRutelli warned that if the centre-right won, jobs would be atrisk. He accused Mr Berlusconi of wanting to allow employers to fireworkers at will, currently not allowed in Italy.
Mr Berlusconi accused the centre left of misrepresentation on thatand other issues.
Ahead of the closing rallies, both sides made newspaper appeals toundecided voters, who could swing Sunday's ballot either way and tothose not intending to vote at all.
The last permitted opinion polls gave the centre right a four-pointlead. Many analysts say the election will be close and could end indeadlock, with neither bloc winning control of both houses ofparliament.