Berlusconi Leads in Italy Vote

The exit polls indicated that the coalition of Berlusconi, a former conservative premier, would win 48 to 51 percent of the vote in the Chamber of Deputies, while the center-left bloc led by former Rome Mayor Francesco Rutelli would take 41 to 44 percent. The polls showed Berlusconi's bloc also winning in the Senate, taking 47 to 50 percent to the center-left coalition's 40 to 43 percent. The exit polls were based on interviews of some 6,000 voters of an eligible 49.5 million voters. Exit poll results were announced on RAI state TV an hour after the voting stations closed, although many people were still waiting on line to vote. Berlusconi's House of Freedoms coalition, which includes a former neo-fascist ally, had been ahead in opinion surveys throughout the campaign to determine who will lead Italy's 59th government since World War II.