'Bunga bunga' Berlusconi's topless woman surprise

Rome: Bearing ample evidence of the nips, tucks and hair transplants that have reversed the march of time, Silvio Berlusconi beamed to supporters as he cast his vote in Italy's closely-watched election.

The three-times prime minister swept up to a voting station in his hometown of Milan sporting a smart dark suit with a winter jacket slung over his shoulders.

Then there was a surprise. A young woman suddenly leapt on to a table and bared her breasts, with the words "Time's up, Berlusconi", written across her chest.

She turned out to be a Femen activist, but she may have reminded Mr Berlusconi of old times.

The 81-year-old was forced out of office seven years ago amid an economic crisis and alleged dalliances with barely-clothed young women at so-called "bunga bunga" parties.

A topless Femen activist protests at a polling station where Silvio Berlusconi was about to vote, in Milan, Italy. Credit: AP

Trials relating to those risqué gatherings, in which he is accused of bribing the actresses and starlets to give false testimony, are still ongoing.

Mr Berlusconi is now at the helm of an uneasy alliance that he has stitched together between Forza Italia, his own party, and the anti-immigrant, anti-euro League and two smaller Right-wing parties.

Italian former premier and leader of Forza Italia party Silvio Berlusconi holds his ballot as he is helped get out of a polling booth, in Milan.Credit: AP

The last polls to be published before the election suggest they will win around 35 per cent of the vote - more than any other political force.

A fraud conviction and ban on public office means the octogenarian billionaire is not standing for prime minister this time around, but he has indicated that when the ban expires next year, he will set his sights on the premiership.

In the meantime, he has nominated Antonio Tajani, currently the president of the European Parliament, as his candidate for premier.

Italians went to the polls after a campaign marked by violence and angry rhetoric between political leaders. The country is split three-ways - while the centre-Right alliance was expected to win a third of the vote, about 28 per cent of votes were expected to go to the anti-establishment Five Star Party and 22-24 per cent to the governing Democratic Party.

Telegraph, London