Italy's nationwide elections are likely to produce a hung parliament, according to multiple snap exit polls released immediately after polls closed.
The anti-establishment 5 Star Movement (5SM), which is expected to become the single biggest party by a wide margin with projections giving it around 30 per cent of the vote. However, a right-wing coalition, spearheaded by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, is set to win most seats in parliament but fall short of the numbers needed for an absolute majority.
One exit poll by Italy's RAI state TV showed the 5SM with between 29.5 per cent and 32.5 per cent of Sunday's vote. The ruling centre-left Democratic Party (PD) was the next largest party, with between 20 per cent and 23 per cent of the vote, according to the poll.
Berlusconi's Forza Italia and the anti-immigrant the League (La Lega) each were polling at between 12.5 per cent and 15.5 per cent. They were running as part of a three-party right-wing coalition, which was expected to gather between 33 per cent to 36 per cent of the vote, short of the 40 per cent analysts have said is the minimum needed to secure a majority under Italy's new electoral law.
However, full results are not expected for several hours, and Italian exit polls have previously given misleading initial readings. There are also a number of other factors to consider. The new electoral system includes seats that are decided on a first-past-the-post system and seats that are decided on the basis of proportional representation, so poll numbers may not necessarily equate to the number of seats won. Results can also differ between the two houses that make up Italy's parliament.
The result forecast for the 5SM, led by 31-year-old Luigi Di Maio would be a quite a result for a group that was only formed in 2009. The party has made big strides with voters sick of the political norm with its hardline stance on corruption, and it has fed off public resentment over economic hardship across the country.
During two months of grinding election campaigning, party leaders repeatedly ruled out any post-election tie-ups with rivals. However, Italy has a long history of finding ways to form governments, however unlikely or unstable they might seem.
Parliament will meet for the first time on 23 Marchand formal talks on forming a government are not likely to start until early April. The biggest worry for many would be a link up between the 5SM, the anti-immigrant the League and the hardline nationalist Brothers of Italy - which is the third party in the right-wing coalition. Exit polls suggested that around 50 per cent of the electorate have voted for such populist parties, although the 5SM have repeatedly ruled out forming a coalition with other parties. There had also been talk before the vote of the possibility of a coalition between the 5SM and the centre-left PD, although that may prove unworkable depending on whether the ruling party would stomach being the junior party in a coalition.
Italy's Interior Ministry said the turnout for the election was 71.48 per cent, a drop from the 75 per cent of eligible voters who participated in the 2013 election, with many analysts suggesting before the voting that disillusionment with the current state of politics in the country may lead to a fall in turnout.
