Related: General elections start in Italy

    ROME, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The center-left coalition, led by former European Commission boss Romano Prodi, was leading Italy's parliamentary election by a margin of roughly 5 percent over incumbent Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's center-right, according to the first exit polls published on Monday.

    A poll conducted by the Nexus polling agency for RAI state television and Berlusconi's Mediaset TV group said that the center-left had netted 50 to 54 percent of the vote, and the center-right, 45 to 49 percent.

    Meanwhile, a poll by the Piepoli institute for ANSA and SkyTG24 gave the center-left 52 percent and the center-right 47 percent.

    Monday was a rainy day in most of Italy. Polls closed at 3: 00 p.m. local time, completing two days of voting for the country's new parliament and government. Initial figures said turnout was high, at more than 66 percent, but lower than five years ago.

    The second exit polls were scheduled to be released at 4:30 p.m. local time, while official results -- first for the Senate, then for the Lower House -- were expected later in the evening.

    Both Prodi and Berlusconi were in Rome on Monday afternoon as the nation was waiting for the results. Enditem