Italy's general election kicked off Sunday as voters cast their ballots to decide the new national parliament and who will govern their country for the next five years.

A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Rome, Italy, April 13, 2008. Italy's general election kicked off Sunday as voters cast their ballots to decide the new national parliament and who will govern their country for the next five years.

Voting began at 8:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) and will last until 10:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) on the first day. On Monday, voting stations will remain open between 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and 3:00 p.m.(1300 GMT). There are 61,225 voting stations across the country.

Of Italy's 58.2 million population, 47.3 million are eligible to vote for the lower house of the national parliament, or Chamber of Deputies, and 43.2 million can vote for the Senate, the upper house.

A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Rome, Italy, April 13, 2008. Italy's general election kicked off Sunday as voters cast their ballots to decide the new national parliament and who will govern their country for the next five years.

Italians aged 18 and over have the right to vote for the lower house, but must wait until they are 25 for the right to vote for the Senate.

There are 630 members in the lower house, and 315 elected members and seven unelected honorary lifetime members with full voting rights in the Senate.

The general election was called after the government led by centre-left Premier Romano Prodi collapsed in January.

An elderly woman (R) gets her ballot at a polling station in Rome, Italy, April 13, 2008. Italy's general election kicked off Sunday as voters cast their ballots to decide the new national parliament and who will govern their country for the next five years.

Voters will elect a new national parliament by selecting from lists headed by 32 candidates for prime minister, of whom central-right Silvio Berlusconi, who is seeking a third term, and central-left former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni were regarded as the two main contenders.

Roberto Moscotelli, a 57-year old hotel runner in Rome, said he was ready to vote for Veltroni for concern of tax rise under Berlusconi.

Both candidates were appealing to voters with tax cuts during the campaign.

Berlusconi promised to cut payroll taxes, lower income taxes as well as abolish council taxes on first homes, aiming to bring the tax burden below 40 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), down from the record level of 43.3 percent in 2007.

In a last-minute pledge just before a ban on campaigning began at midnight on Friday, Berlusconi offered another tax cuts worth 4 billion euros (6.3 billion U.S. dollars) by eliminating a tax on car and motorcycle registration.

"We will use that treasure to abolish this tax that has no reason to exist," Berlusconi said at a TV program.

Veltroni said his government will cut income tax by 1 percent a year starting in 2009, introduce tax credits for poor working mothers, simplify corporate tax procedures and increase family benefits including a 2,500-euro one-off payment for a couple's first child.

However, it was feared massive tax cuts may increase the current government deficit, though both people said their will reduce Italy's public debt.

Whatever the result is, the winner will be faced with a tough job to revive an ailing economy.

Italy is the third largest economy in the euro zone, the 15-nation bloc sharing the same currency euro, but its economic growth has been under potential in recent years. In 2007, the Italian economy grew by 1.5 percent, far below the eurozone average of 2.7 percent. It was projected to grow just 0.6 percent this year.

Both Berlusconi and Veltroni also made similar pledge to improve security for citizens and reform judicial system.

Exit poll results were expected shortly after all voting stations close on Monday afternoon. Latest opinion polls gave Berlusconi five to nine percentage points ahead of Veltroni, but 15 percent of voters remain undecided.

(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2008)