Italian voters mourning the death of Pope John Paul II may stay away from regional elections, politicians fear.
The polls are seen as an important test for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his party, but they were receiving little attention on Sunday.
By noon (1000 GMT) turnout was 12.5%, down from 17.4% at the same time in the last poll.
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Mr Berlusconi's centre-right ruling coalition controls eight of the 14 regional governments up for election.
Analysts said its performance at the local elections could indicate whether it can succeed at the next national elections.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4406655.stmBTW: These elections were supposed to see if Berlusconi was going to pay a high price for sending Italian troops to Iraq. But now, who knows? :shrug: