Italians vote in key test for Berlusconi

Italians voted yesterday in partial local elections with all eyes on the northern business hub of Milan, a centre-right stronghold of embattled Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
The vote on Sunday and Monday is a last major test of Berlusconi's popularity before his term runs out in 2013, and comes as the flamboyant Italian leader is embroiled in legal and sex scandals.
The centre-right incumbent in Milan, Letizia Moratti, is expected to retain her post, but polls show she might not win outright in the first round and could be forced into a second round at the end of the month.
Berlusconi has campaigned vigorously on her behalf, even heading the electoral list for the polls in Milan, his home town.