Rome - Italians resumed voting Sunday for European Parliament elections following a slow first day on Saturday, when those who cast ballots represented just over
17 percent of eligible voters.

Almost 21 per cent of eligible voters had cast their ballots by the end of the first day of voting during the last European Parliament elections, held in 2004.

On Sunday, the last day of voting, polling stations were scheduled to close at 10 pm (2000 GMT).

With European Union issues taking a back-seat in the election campaign, the vote in Italy is widely viewed as a test of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's popularity in the wake of a scandal involving his friendship with an 18-year-old woman.

Results will also signal whether the anti-immigration Northern League, the junior partner in Berlusconi's conservative coalition, can emulate the success of similar parties elsewhere in Europe, including the Netherlands.

Northern League officials have said that in the event of a strong showing they will demand that Berlusconi relinquish control of Italy's industrialised northern regions of Lombardy and the Veneto.

Besides choosing Italy's allotted 72 European parliamentarians, voters will also cast ballots to elect thousands of municipal candidates, including the mayors of major cities such as Florence, Bologna, Padua and Bergamo.

Berlusconi on Friday wrapped up his campaign by confidently citing opinion polls that suggest his conservative People of Freedom party is favoured by 45 per cent of Italian voters.

He predicted that lawmakers elected from his party would make up the largest component within the European People's Party, the centre-right grouping that is expected to retain its majority in the European Parliament. (dpa)