Local run-off elections began in 118 Italian towns and cities on Sunday, despite an earthquake which rocked the north of the country, killing six people in the early hours of the morning, dpa reported. Polling stations close at 10 pm (2000 GMT) and reopen for a second day of polling on Monday between 7 am and 3 pm. They are the first elections since former prime minister SilvioBerlusconi stepped down in November and will be viewed as a litmus test for the political mood in the country ahead of general elections due in April 2013. About 4.5 million people are eligible to vote in the run-offs, in which the top two candidates from May 6-7 first round elections where there was no clear winner square off against each other.
