Italians Begin 2-Day Vote to Settle Power Struggle

Italians began two days of voting Sunday in national elections called one year ahead of schedule to settle a power struggle between Christian Democrats and Socialists.

More than 45 million Italians were eligible to vote at 84,577 polling places throughout the country. The first projections were expected shortly after the polls close today.

The collapse of Socialist Prime Minister Bettino Craxi’s five-party, center-left coalition of Christian Democrats, Socialists, Republicans, Social Democrats and Liberals that had provided 3 1/2 years of political stability forced early elections.

Virtually the only campaign issue was whether the Socialists or the Christian Democrats, Italy’s dominant party since World War II, would lead the next coalition government.

Political leaders feared a high abstention rate. But election officials reported that the early turnout was near normal.

Four hours after the polls opened, 15.5% of the electorate had voted, compared to 15.8% in the last national elections in 1983, the Interior Ministry said.

Candidates for 17 political parties were running for 630 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Parliament, and 315 in the Senate.

They ranged from members of a new Greens Party championing environmental issues to porno star Illona Staller, known as “Cicciolina” or little cuddly girl. The small but vocal Radical Party made Staller a candidate as a protest against political cynicism and found her threatening to outpoll party leader Marco Pannella.