Giorgia Meloni tweets: "We will not betray your trust"

On Monday morning, the Brothers of Italy leader - who seems to have won the election and will likely become prime minister - tweeted: "We will not betray your trust. We are ready to lift up Italy again. THANK YOU!"

Just over half of the Senate and one-quarter of the Lower House votes have been counted

So far, the right-wing bloc has obtained 42.3% in the lower house, the centre-left 27.9%, the Five Star Movement 14.9%, and the Centrist coalition 8.1%.

Europe's right-wing leaders praise Meloni

Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spanish far-right party Vox, has congratulated Meloni on Twitter for what exit polls suggest is a landslide victory for her party and coalition.

"[Giorgia Meloni] has shown the road for a Europe that is proud, free and of sovereign natures, that are able to cooperate for the security and prosperity of all.

Go on, [Brothers of Italy]."

Meloni had spoken at a Vox rally in Marbella this summer, where she decried "LGBT lobbies" and "Islamic violence".

Others to have joined the chorus of praise include Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who tweeted "Congratulations [Giorgia Meloni]!"

Exit polls

The right-wing blog is expected to get 41-45% of the vote, according to a RAI exit poll.

Its biggest party is the Giorgia Meloni-led Brothers of Italy, which will likely obtain 22-26%.

The Democratic Party-led centre-left coalition and the Five Star Movement lag behind with 25.5-29.5% and 13.5-17.5%.

The small centrist Third Poll is predicted to obtain 6.5-8.5%.

Extraordinarily low voter turn out

Only 64.67% of the electorate has been reported to have turned up to vote in this election, making it a dramatically low figure in a country with a historically high level of political participation.

Giorgia Meloni's far-right party wins Italy's snap general election, exit polls suggest

Italy seems set to have its first female prime minister.

Meloni votes

Dogs at polling stations

Last hour until booths close

Italy's polling stations will close at 23:00.

Berlusconi enjoys an aperitivo with his supporters in Milan

Longtime ex-PM and right-wing candidate Silvio Berlusconi was sighted enjoying an aperitivo with his supporters in a Milan bar, shortly after he cast his ballot this morning.

There he was recorded as saying he wanted to get "more votes" than his coalition colleague and friend, Matteo Salvini - whom Berlusconi mocked by saying "he has never worked."

Polling booths closing in under 2 hours

The deadline to vote is 23:00, after which polling stations will close.

Long queues outside polling booths

Polling booths have seen extraordinarily long queues, with thousands of people having found themselves having to wait over an hour. Many have been taking to social media to post videos about the delays.

Part of the reason that has been cited for such long waiting times are "anti-tampering sticker" which have been introduced to prevent electoral fraud. In order for the ballot to be put inside the box, they must be removed by an official worker at the polling station.

Four former prime ministers are among the candidates

The centre-left bloc's biggest force, the Democratic Party, is headed by Enrico Letta, a professor who had been formerly appointed as the technocratic head of a big-tent coalition government in 2013. His 10-month premiership ended as a result of scuffles inside his party, and he was succeeded in February 2014 by Matteo Renzi.

Renzi himself, while no longer a member of the Democratic Party, is running for the Senate - this time, as a candidate of a considerably smaller centrist coalition known as the Third Pole (Terzo Polo).

The Five Star Movement is also headed by a familiar face: Giuseppe Conte, a lawyer who presided over two coalition cabinets from 2018 to 2021 and led Italy through the first part of the COVID-19 pandemic. His downfall was triggered by ex-PM Matteo Renzi, who withdrew his support from the coalition and triggered a governmental crisis.

And lastly, Italy's longtime ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi has made a phoenix-like comeback as part of the right-wing coalition.

What the pollsters say: who is likely to win?

Exit polls are scheduled to come out after 23:00. But in the meanwhile, what do the opinion polls say?

If surveys are to be trusted, it appears that Giorgia Meloni's meteoric rise is likely to put her in office as Italy’s first woman prime minister. The Roman politician leads the biggest party in a coalition which is polling at 46-48% - well above the 40% threshold needed for a majority.

Brothers of Italy by itself is polling at 24-26%, while the League and Go Italy are at 12-14% and 7-9%, respectively. 

Lagging behind is the centre-left coalition, which is currently polling at around 27-29%, with the Democratic Party coming in at 22-24%. The Five Star Movement is currently at 13-14%, while the centrist "Third Pole" bloc at 5-7%

Why is Italy holding a snap election?

Italy’s upcoming set of general elections was originally slated for next spring. So why have politicians been battling this summer’s torrid temperatures to campaign for votes?

It was sparked by the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi on 21 July and the collapse of his big-tent coalition government, which included leftist, right-wing and centrist parties. 

Draghi came to power after another coalition -- headed by the lawyer Giuseppe Conte -- collapsed in January 2021.

Voter turnout by 19:00 is 8% lower than in last election

By 19:00, 51.25% of eligible voters cast their ballots for the lower house - exactly 8% lower than in the 2018 general election (59.25%).

Italy's political leaders cast their votes

Verhofstadt retweets comment drawing comparison between Meloni and Mussolini

A tweet from the Belgian MEP and former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, who was also the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

Salvini declares his love for Berlusconi "regardless" of jibes

The two coalition colleagues, who describe each other as friends, have occasionally been perceived as rivals, especially at the peak of Matteo Salvini and the League's popularity in 2019. 

Just after voting today, former PM and right-wing candidate Silvio Berlusconi was recorded as saying Salvini had "never worked".

To which the League leader responded: "Whatever he may say, I will always have love for Silvio Berlusconi, regardless."

Italian President applauded as he heads to polling booth

At 8:45am, Italian President Sergio Mattarella - who was supposed to resign in January, but stayed on after no clear winner emerged - went to vote in Palermo, Sicily.

He received applause from members of the public waiting in the queue.

Which regions have the highest and lowest turnout so far?

Northern and central regions are currently recording a higher turnout. This includes Veneto, Lombardy, Liguria, Tuscany and Lazio. The southern Italian region of Campania, whose capital is Naples, has the lowest.

Turnout for the lower house vote recorded at midday was at 19.21% - barely below the 19.43% recorded in the last general election in 2018, which saw 72.9% casting their ballots.

Previous estimates had suggested up to 41% of eligible voters would abstain in this snap election.

Who are the main parties and candidates running?

There are several major parties running, many of which are in coalitions.

The "centre-right" coalition consists of three major parties:

- Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia), headed by Giorgia Meloni

- Northern League (Lega Nord), Matteo Salvini

- Go Italy (Forza Italia), Silvio Berlusconi

The "centre-left" has one major and several minor parties:

- Democratic Party (Partito Democratico), Enrico Letta

- Small parties like More Europe, Greens and Left Alliance, and Civic Commitment.

The populist, syncretic Five Star Movement is running by itself, headed by Giuseppe Conte.

A centrist "Third Pole" is made up of Italy Alive (Italia Viva) and Action (Azione), led by Carlo Calenda.

Good evening!

Hello and welcome to Euronews' live coverage of Italy's snap election as we count down to the first exit polls due later this evening.

We'll guide you through what you need to know about today's vote, including the parties and personalties involved.

While a low voter turnout was expected, by noon, 19% of the electorate had turned up - which is within normal range.