Italy faces a prolonged period of political instability after voters delivered a hung parliament on Sunday, spurning traditional parties and flocking to anti-establishment and far-right groups in record numbers.
With votes counted from more than 75 percent of polling stations, it looked almost certain that none of the three main factions would be able to govern alone and there was little prospect of a return to mainstream government, creating a dilemma for the European Union.
A rightist alliance including former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy!) held the biggest bloc of votes.
In a bitter personal defeat that appeared unlikely last