Italy's conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi has won the general election as center-left leader Walter Veltroni conceded the election. Early exit polls showed Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party (PDL) having a commanding lead in both the house and the Senate.
BBC World has a brief profiling of the two candidates maps out the road ahead for Berlusconi:
Mr Berlusconi has served two terms as prime minister, last resigning in May 2006.
The billionaire, believed to be Italy's richest man, is the head of a business empire that spans media, advertising, insurance, food and construction and includes the successful football club AC Milan.
Mr Veltroni, 52, is a former communist who served for seven years as mayor of Rome before taking over the leadership of the centre-left coalition led by Mr Prodi after his government collapsed in January.
The next government faces the task of reviving Italy's ailing economy, with zero growth forecast for the coming year.
Although Italy faces a massive public debt, both candidates promised tax cuts and handouts to voters.
Italy's economy has been suffering from low productivity and a strong euro, and analysts say young people, pensioners and low-income workers are feeling the pressure.
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