Italy's Interior Ministry, faced with lengthy queues at polling stations in today's general election, said any eligible voter who turned up before a 10 p.m. (2200 GMT) deadline would be allowed to cast a ballot.
The ministry said it had asked pollsters not to release polls until after 10 p.m. to ensure everyone could vote without being influenced by media reports.
Many voters - including prime ministerial hopefuls media tycoon Mr Silvio Berlusconi and former mayor of Rome Mr Francesco Rutelli - had to queue for over half an hour to vote.
Italians were not voting directly for Mr Rutelli of the centre-left group or Mr Berlusconi of the centre-right, but casting their ballots for candidates in the 630-seat lower house Chamber of Deputies and the 315-seat Senate.
There were queues of up to two hours in the southern city of Naples, and the Interior Ministry was forced to increase the number of voting booths there and in Rome.
By 7 p.m. (1700 GMT), 59 per cent of Italy's 49.4 million eligible voters had cast their ballot, the ministry said.
A high final turnout is thought to benefit the weaker party going in to the election, in this case the ruling centre left led by Mr Rutelli.
Before voting began, there was widespread concern turnout would be below the 1996 vote, with pollsters estimating that between 16 and 28 per cent of eligible voters might abstain - a high proportion by Italian standards.
The Interior Ministry was to count the turnout again at 9.30 p.m. and when the polls close, due at 10 p.m. It then takes about an hour and a half to get figures in from all the regions.