Cliffhanger in Italy poll race as comedian grabs the protest vote

The Italian election race was thrown wide open today with a surge in protest votes reported for an anti-establishment party led by a comedian.

Most recent opinion polls have put Pier Luigi Bersani’s centre-Left alliance in a narrow lead over Silvio Berlusconi’s Right-wing coalition, as voting continued for a second day. But in third place, with some suggesting it could end up with 100 seats, was the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo, a comedian turned political activist.

The movement has struck a chord with voters who have lost faith in Italy’s traditional parties and a political process tainted by scandals, instability and corruption. It is eurosceptic, and Mr Grillo has promised to rip up the political system “like a tin of tuna”.

He has fought a strong online campaign and attracted big crowds to rallies across Italy, which he has been touring in a camper van. In Rome, lawyer Paolo Gentile, 49, who voted for the Five Star Movement, said: “I’m sick of the scandals and stealing. We need some young, new people in parliament, not the old parties that are totally discredited.”

Polls close at 3pm. Final results should be known by early tomorrow.

Analysts warned an inconclusive outcome, with parties struggling to form a government in a chaotic parliament, could spark dangerous instability in the financial markets and drive Italy’s economy, already burdened by huge debt, further into trouble. The campaign takes place amid a recession, after the 2011 debt crisis that saw Mr Berlusconi resign as prime minister to be replaced by technocrat Mario Monti.

Opinion polls have put Mr Monti’s centrist group in fourth place. He has won respect abroad for austerity measures to tackle the debt crisis, but at home has been blamed for financial suffering caused by the cuts.

Mr Bersani, a former communist, has pledged to continue Mr Monti’s reforms but says Europe needs to do more to promote growth and jobs. He was on 33 per cent in the polls compared with 26 per cent for Mr Berlusconi.

The ex-prime minister has staged a comeback despite being embroiled in two trials, accused of tax fraud and sex with an underage prostitute. While voting in Milan yesterday, he was confronted by topless women with Basta Berlusconi (Enough Berlusconi) scrawled on their bodies. Turnout yesterday was 55 per cent, seven points below that of 2008’s election.