Italians began voting today in a parliamentary election that could bring conservative media magnate Silvio Berlusconi back to power for the third time to deal with a deep economic and social malaise.
A woman walks past election posters in Rome
The 71-year-old billionaire's main challenger is centre-left leader Walter Veltroni, a former communist who portrays himself as a man of change, although his campaign promises of modest tax cuts and getting tough on crime are similar to Berlusconi's.
Many of Italy's 47 million voters were gloomy about the prospects for economic recovery and political stability as they chose their 62nd government since World War Two, especially as election laws make it hard for anyone to win a clear majority.
The centre-left coalition government led by Romano Prodi lasted just 20 months before it collapsed in January with Italy sliding towards economic recession.
Voting ends at 3pm on Monday and the result could be clear a few hours later.
Mr Berlusconi, the only man in 50 years to have served a full five-year term as prime minister, was applauded as he swept past voters in Milan, cast his ballot and kissed a three-year-old boy. "Save us, Silvio," one voter shouted.
Mr Veltroni (52), low-key leader of the Democratic Party, waited in a long queue in Rome until officials let him through to vote.
Mr Berlusconi, one of Italy's richest men, led in opinion polls but his campaign at times lacked the flamboyance that won him power in 1994 and 2001, when he went on to serve the full term.
The usually smooth-talking leader also made several apparent slips that could cost him votes, such as insulting soccer star Francesco Totti for backing the centre left.
Italy's morale has been battered by the struggle to find a buyer for loss-making airline Alitalia, a garbage crisis in Naples and a health scare over mozzarella cheese.
The International Monetary Fund sees the European Union's fourth largest economy growing at just 0.3 percent this year and it has the world's third highest debt pile in absolute terms.
Mr Berlusconi and Veltroni both promised modest tax cuts to spur consumption. But the winner's ability to deliver this will be hampered by complex voting rules, introduced by Berlusconi, that make it hard to win a clear majority in the upper house.