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| Exit polls place Berlusconi ahead | Exit polls place Berlusconi ahead |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Veteran centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi, 71, has a narrow lead in Italy's general election, exit polls suggest. | Veteran centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi, 71, has a narrow lead in Italy's general election, exit polls suggest. |
| Mr Berlusconi, a billionaire, is bidding for a third term in office. His main rival is centre-left leader Walter Veltroni, formerly Rome mayor. | |
| Exit polls showed Mr Berlusconi's bloc about 2% ahead for both houses. | |
| The election was held three years ahead of schedule, following the collapse of Romano Prodi's centre-left coalition. | The election was held three years ahead of schedule, following the collapse of Romano Prodi's centre-left coalition. |
| Correspondents caution that it is too early to predict a winner with any certainty. | |
| The new government will be Italy's 62nd since World War II. | |
| Tricky coalition talks are expected in the coming days. The next government faces the task of reviving Italy's ailing economy. Zero growth is forecast for the coming year. |