Italians headed to the polls Sunday and Monday in a vote that could end Silvio Berlusconi's five-year run as prime minister. Opinion surveys showed his centre-right House of Freedoms coalition trailing Romano Prodi's centre-left alliance, though a large share of undecided voters left the outcome uncertain.
Berlusconi, ranked 25th on the Forbes list of the world's wealthiest people with a fortune of roughly 12 billion dollars, spent the final stretch of the campaign mailing a government-achievements booklet to millions of Italian households. Opponents accused him of monopolizing broadcast coverage, pointing to his ownership of Italy's largest private television network alongside publishing, insurance, and retail holdings.
Legal problems have shadowed Berlusconi since taking office in 2001. Prosecutors recently asked a judge to indict him on charges of bribing a British lawyer to provide favorable testimony in earlier corruption cases. He has faced multiple previous charges, including tax fraud and embezzlement, escaping conviction through acquittals or expired statutes of limitations.
Born in Milan in 1936, Berlusconi built his initial fortune through property development before founding his Forza Italia party in 1993 and first becoming prime minister in 1994. That government fell after seven months, and he lost a 1996 rematch to Prodi before winning a commanding majority in 2001.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in April 2006, in its own words.