Italy's parliamentary elections are likely to produce a hung parliament, exit polls have shown, meaning former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's party will be forced to scramble to form a coalition government.

A centre-right coalition is set to win most seats in parliament ahead of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, with the centre-left third, exit polls on Rai state television and private channel La 7 showed after voting ended on Sunday.

However, the centre-right, made up of Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy!), and the far-right League and Brothers of Italy, are seen falling some way short of an absolute majority needed to govern.

The populist 5-Star is likely to be the largest single party by a wide margin, with around 30 percent of the vote.

It came after Berlusconi was surprised by a topless activist while casting his vote in the election.

The woman, who had the words 'Berlusconi, you've expired' written in black marker on her chest, jumped onto the table at the Milan polling station as Berlusconi was voting.

Far-right and populist parties are expected to make major gains and Berlusconi is set to play a leading role. Pictured: The former PM is surprised by an activist today

Polling stations opened at 6am GMT and will close at 10pm, with initial results expected tomorrow morning. Pictured: The activist is brought down from the table

Photographers in the room jostled for position amid the chaos while Berlusconi, 81, was escorted out.

It is not the first time Berlusconi has been targeted by Femen activists - he was also jumped at a polling station in Milan five years ago, that time by three women.

Italians headed to the polls on Sunday in one of the country's most uncertain elections ever.

Far-right and populist parties were expected to make major gains and Berlusconi was set to play a leading role.

While he cannot hold office himself because he was convicted of tax fraud, he is backing another nominee.

Tensions between far-right and anti-fascist activists have marred a gloomy campaign dominated by fears about immigration and economic malaise.

The result could be a stalemate between the M5S, three-time former prime minister Berlusconi's rightwing coalition and the ruling centre-left PD. Pictured: Berlusconi leaves the room after the surprise intrusion

The woman, who had the words 'Berlusconi, you've expired' written in black marker on her chest, jumped onto the table at the Milan polling station as Berlusconi was voting

Photographers in the room jostled for position amid the chaos while Berlusconi was escorted out. Pictured: Berlusconi before the shock emergence of the woman

Polling stations opened at 6am GMT and will close at 10pm, with initial results expected tomorrow morning

Polls suggest the former prime minister's centre-right alliance, Forza Italia, will emerge the largest bloc in a hung parliament on Sunday

'This election campaign has been pretty squalid, including from the Democratic Party (PD), who I voted for,' 24-year-old barber Mirko Canali said after casting his vote in Rome.

He said he knew many other young people who, fed up with high youth unemployment, had decided to support the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S).

'They're pissed off, can't bear (PD leader Matteo) Renzi anymore and maybe they're right,' Canali said.

Many Italians are cynical about election promises made by the country's many squabbling parties and confused about what the outcome might be.

'We hope something will change because until now things have been very bad,' said Enzo Gallo, an elderly shopper at a street market in Milan.

'The middle class no longer exists, the poor are becoming poorer, the rich are becoming richer and there is no social justice,' he said.

The result could be a stalemate between the M5S, three-time former prime minister Berlusconi's rightwing coalition and the ruling centre-left PD.

The last opinion polls before the vote put Berlusconi's coalition in the lead with 37 per cent, followed by the M5S with 28 per cent and the centre-left with 27 per cent.

Francesca Pascale, the fiance of 'Forza Italia' leader and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, is handed out the ballot papers for the Italian general elections at a polling station in Rome

Matteo Renzi of the Democratic Party prepares to casts his vote for the general elections at a polling station in Florence

Italian President Sergio Mattarella arrives at a polling station to cats his ballot for the general elections, in Palermo

Under a new electoral law being tried out for the first time, any grouping would need at least 40 per cent of the vote to command an overall majority of seats in both chambers of parliament.

'These elections are a lottery. It's been the case before but never like today,' said Roberto D'Alimonte, head of political science at Rome's Luiss University.

A remarkable feature of the election has been the return to the limelight of 81-year-old Berlusconi, despite a political career overshadowed by sex scandals and legal woes.

The billionaire tycoon cannot himself hold office because of a tax fraud conviction but has put forward European Parliament President Antonio Tajani as his prime ministerial nominee.

Berlusconi's plans, however, face a challenge from his ambitious coalition partner, League leader Matteo Salvini, whose anti-immigration and eurosceptic rhetoric has fired up the campaign.

Berlusconi, pictured with his partner at a shop in the San Gregorio Armeno district of Naples, cannot hold public office until 2019 because of a tax dodging conviction

Berlusconi poses for pictures with supporters during his visit to the Chapel of Sansevero in Naples, the day before the election

Former Prime Minister and head of the centre-right Forza Italia party Silvio Berlusconi (right) is pictured with his companion Francesca Pascale in Naples on Saturday

The former PM has dominated Italian politics for more than two decades, with his latest comeback at the age of 81 defying those who dared to believe he had thrown in the towel

Berlusconi (centre), pictured speaking to the media at the Chapel of Sansevero in Naples on Saturday, is tipped to make a big comeback in Sunday general elections

Salvini has said he should be nominated prime minister if his party comes ahead of Berlusconi's and their coalition as a whole wins a majority.

Berlusconi and Salvini have promised to expel 600,000 illegal migrants if they win power - a proposal dismissed by the centre-left as logistically impossible.

The election has drawn international attention, including from former White House adviser Steve Bannon - the man who harnessed the populist insurgency that propelled Donald Trump to power.

Italy's election 'epitomises everything, it is pure populism,' Bannon said in an interview with the New York Times last week.

Bannon, who is visiting Italy as part of a European tour, told the paper: 'The Italian people have gone farther, in a shorter period of time, than the British did for Brexit and the Americans did for Trump'.

He called a potential alliance between the Five Star Movement and the League - a scenario that has spooked financial markets and European capitals - the 'ultimate dream'.

It is not the first time Berlusconi has been targeted by Femen activists - he was also jumped at a polling station in Milan five years ago, that time by three women

PD leader Renzi told a final campaign event in his native Florence on Friday that only a vote for his party would prevent Salvini from taking power.

'The PD is the only serious political force that can bring concrete results,' Chiara Serdone, a 70-year-old retired railway company employee, told AFP at the rally.

If no party wins an overall majority, one scenario outlined by analysts could be a grand coalition between the PD and Forza Italia - a prospect that would reassure investors but risks spreading more cynicism and emboldening populists and the far-right.

Another possibility could be a temporary government and eventually new elections.

The M5S may end up as the single biggest party but has ruled out any post-election deals with the others.

'I voted for the right and Berlusconi in the past ... but this time I'm voting Five Star Movement to be against the parties that have always stolen,' said 24-year-old pastry chef Francesco Tagliavini at a polling station in Rome's Tor Marancia neighbourhood.

Silvio Berlusconi: From cruise ship singer to billionaire prime minister Despite sex scandals, serial gaffes and legal woes, the flamboyant tycoon has made an astonishing return from political oblivion to head his centre-right Forza Italia (Go Italy) party, which as part of a right-wing coalition is leading the race for Sunday's vote, according to opinion polls. 'Berlusconi has 12 or 13 lives, he's like a cat squared,' said former premier Matteo Renzi, who is himself trying to win back the top spot on Sunday. While Berlusconi has largely avoided the big campaign rallies and only appeared once with his coalition allies in the run-up to the vote, he is a constant figure on television, radio and in newspapers, a number of which he owns through his Fininvest empire. While Berlusconi has largely avoided the big campaign rallies and only appeared once with his coalition allies in the run-up to the vote, he is a constant figure on television, radio and in newspapers The one-time cruise ship crooner, who has served as prime minister three times and once owned AC Milan football club, has had a tumultuous love affair with Italian politics, clinching his first election victory in 1994. With his oiled-back hair and winning smile, he has ruled Italy for more than nine years in total. He became renowned around the world for his buffoonish gaffes and a colourful private life epitomised by his notorious 'bunga bunga' sex parties. I'm like a good wine, with age, I only improve, now I'm perfect,' he tweeted recently. Berlusconi was born in 1936 in Milan to a bank employee father and a housewife mother who always staunchly defended her son's virtues. The young Berlusconi was a born entertainer. Berlusconi was born in 1936 in Milan to a bank employee father and a housewife mother who always staunchly defended her son's virtues. Pictured: Berlusconi in 2013 A huge fan of Nat King Cole, he played double bass and entertained club audiences with jokes during breaks from studying law. He worked briefly as a cruise-ship singer before launching a lucrative career in the booming construction sector and then expanding to set up three national television channels and buy Italian football club AC Milan, which he went on to sell in 2017. Berlusconi's political success has been linked to his football glory. But it is also closely entwined with the power of his broadcasting and publishing empire. His first stint as prime minister lasted from 1994-1996. In 2001, he was elected again after a campaign which included sending a book boasting of his achievements to 15 million Italian homes. He remained in power until 2006 - the longest premiership in the history of post-war Italy - and as a divided left floundered, he was voted back in for a third time in 2008. But his premiership ended in 2011 in a blaze of sex scandals and fears Italy was on the brink of a Greek-style financial implosion. The twice-divorced Berlusconi was forced out of parliament in 2013 after his conviction for corporate tax fraud was upheld by Italy's highest court. His influence waned quickly after that. In 2013 he was also sentenced to seven years for paying for sex with an underage 17-year-old prostitute Karima El-Mahroug, known as 'Ruby the Heart Stealer' (pictured) In 2013 he was also sentenced to seven years for paying for sex with an underage 17-year-old prostitute Karima El-Mahroug, known as 'Ruby the Heart Stealer', and for abusing his powers to get her off theft charges, pretending she was the niece of then Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. The Ruby conviction was eventually overturned by an appeal court. Not entirely off the hook though, Berlusconi now faces trial over allegations he bought Ruby and other women's silence with more than 10 million euros worth of gifts including houses and holidays. The former leader also gained notoriety for his off-colour jokes and diplomatic gaffes, in 2013 likening German politician Martin Schulz to a Nazi, and describing US President Barack Obama as 'suntanned'. In a wiretap conversation leaked to the press, he also called German Chancellor Angela Merkel 'an un****able lard-arse'. The now ageing politician has also grappled with health issues in recent years, undergoing open heart surgery in 2016. When asked about his eventual successor though, he responded: 'It's not easy to find a genius, but as I'll live to be 120, I will find one.' Advertisement

Five Star's leader Luigi Di Maio broke with tradition by announcing a full list of ministerial nominees ahead of the vote, including many academics with no political experience.

The 31-year-old Di Maio told supporters: 'Some people have mocked this decision but we will be the ones laughing on Monday.'

Voters, meanwhile, have complained of long lines - some of more than an hour - at polling stations around the country.

Rome's city hall urged voters to head out as soon as possible, or at least an hour before polls close at 10pm GMT.

City authorities said the delays were due 'in great part' to new anti-fraud measures.

Under the new system, each ballot has a serial number that is entered in the registration books alongside the name of the voter who receives the ballot.

After the voter fills out the ballot and seals it, the detachable coupon with the serial number on it is removed and presented to the head of the polling station to make sure it matches the number in the registry.

The polling station chief then deposits the ballot in the box without any identifying information.