Italy calls April election with Berlusconi in lead
Italy called a snap election for mid-April on Wednesday, heralding the possible return to power of media magnate Silvio Berlusconi who has a solid poll lead over the collapsed centre-left coalition.
In a dramatic sequence of events even by Italian standards, Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigned last month after his allies defected. Attempts to set up an interim government failed and Berlusconi’s calls for an immediate election prevailed.