Image copyright AFP Image caption League chief Matteo Salvini and Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio both want to lead Italy

The leaders of two anti-establishment parties have each claimed they have the right to govern Italy, after voters in Europe's fourth-largest economy did not return a majority to any single party.

The Eurosceptic, populist Five Star Movement was the biggest single party with a third of the vote.

But the right-wing populist League said it had been endorsed to run the country as part of a centre-right alliance.

Forming a government could take weeks of negotiation and coalition-building.

Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has resigned as leader of the governing centre-left Democratic Party, which performed poorly, taking less than 20% of the vote.

He said the party would not join a coalition with "anti-system forces" and would go into opposition instead.

An alliance between the far-right League and ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party is set to win the most seats in the lower house of parliament, but the League has emerged as the senior partner. It won 17.4% of the vote compared with Forza Italia's 14%.

Matteo Salvini, the 44-year-old leader of the League, said at a press conference that he intended to speak to other parties to gain a parliamentary majority.

Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio, 31, announced that his party was also open to coalition talks with other parties - this despite the party having stated the contrary in the run-up to the vote.

The gains for populists represent a political earthquake that will send shockwaves to the EU in Brussels, BBC Europe editor Katya Adler says.

A coalition between Five Star and the League would be a "nightmare result" for the EU, our correspondent adds.

However, Mr Salvini has ruled out such an alliance. He said he was not interested in a "minestrone" coalition, referring to the Italian soup of mixed vegetables.

Results showed that the League conquered broad swathes of Italy's north, while Five Star saw its strongest show of support in the south.

The centre-left coalition, dominated by the Democratic Party, was punished in traditional strongholds including Emilia-Romagna, the northern region home to the city of Bologna.

Voter turnout was estimated at 73% on Monday morning, according to interior ministry figures.

What does the result mean?

Though no party will be able to rule alone based on latest results, the surge of support for populist parties has been compared with Brexit and the election of Donald Trump in the US.

The right-wing alliance, which also includes the far-right Brothers of Italy, is tipped to get 248-268 seats - below the 316 needed for a majority.

But Five Star will emerge as the largest single party in Italy's lower house, with 216-236 seats.

The party was founded in 2009 by comedian Beppe Grillo, who denounced cronyism in Italian politics. It has captured new voters in the poorer regions of southern Italy, feeding off anger over institutional corruption, economic hardship and immigration.

Italian voters appear to have abandoned Mr Renzi's Democratic Party because of dissatisfaction over these issues, and the centre-left coalition is projected to come a distant third, with an estimated 107-127 seats.

Immigration and the economy have been two of the key issues for voters during the election.

More than 600,000 migrants have travelled from Libya to reach Italy since 2013, which has upset many Italians.

The state of the economy was also at the centre of the debates. In 2016, some 18 million people were at risk of poverty, and unemployment is currently at 11%.

Results from the vote for Italy's Senate, the upper house of parliament, also favoured populists and parties of the right. Five Star performed better than anticipated and was forecast to take the most seats - around 102-122 - but miss out on a majority.

The right-wing coalition is predicted to get 118-150 seats in the upper house, and the Democratic Party 42-54.

Advantage Five Star - but what happens next?

By James Reynolds BBC News, Milan

We still don't know who the winner will be. But in this opening act, Five Star has gained a certain advantage. Its message clearly resonated with young people searching for jobs, and with voters in the poorer south of the country.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Matteo Renzi's Democratic Party is among the losers in this election

The movement made a big point of running alone in this election. By contrast, other major parties teamed up into electoral alliances. But the feature which gave the party its strength - its independence - may now become its weakness. In order to form a government, Five Star must find coalition partners. Its inexperience in working with others may be a disadvantage in the practical business of coalition-building.

So, which way will Five Star seek to turn? There is some speculation that the movement may seek a coalition with the League.

Both parties have criticised Italy's relationship with the European Union, although neither campaigns to leave the bloc. A potential alliance between the two would be viewed with some degree of worry in Brussels.

Berlusconi's party outshone by allies

The vote comes as a blow to Silvio Berlusconi, 81, whose party led the right-wing coalition. But now Matteo Salvini has laid claim to that role.

He has promised to deport hundreds of thousands of migrants and spoken of the "danger" of Islam.

"My first words: THANK YOU," tweeted Mr Salvini as projections rolled in.

In any case Mr Berlusconi cannot hold public office himself until next year because of a tax fraud conviction.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Berlusconi's handshake advice for BBC reporter

Who is Matteo Salvini?

The leader of the League is a proud Eurosceptic, who has praised Brexit and voiced opposition to the euro in the past.

"It's a fantastic victory which fills us with pride," said Mr Salvini on Monday as results came in.

He claimed Italian voters had "made a step forward to be free from the cages and ties that are bringing back hunger and insecurity in Europe".

In the same speech, Mr Salvini repeated his stance that the euro is bad for Italy.

"It's a wrong currency and a wrong choice," he said.

How Italy's press reacted - BBC Monitoring

La Stampa (centre-left): Di Maio wins, Italy is ungovernable

La Repubblica (centre-left): Italy belongs to the Five Star Movement and the League; the Democratic Party is knocked out, Renzi on his way out

Libero (centre-right): A chaotic government of amateurs - anger and confusion at the polls: From bad to worse

Il fatto quotidiano (populist): The Five Star Movement soars, Renzi crashes, Salvini wipes out Berlusconi: Everything changes

More on Italy's vote:

Italian town at centre of bitter race debate

Will fake claims affect poll?

Silvio Berlusconi: Italy's perpetual powerbroker</s>Italians Go To The Polls

Italy goes to the polls Sunday following one of the country's nastiest campaigns. We look at the implications for Italy and the EU.</s>Italy’s 18th general election since 1948 takes place on Sunday March 4, less than three months after President Sergio Matarella dissolved Parliament on December 28.

Today, Italians will head to the polls to cast their ballots for the 945 member Parliament, between 7am and 11pm local time (6am and 11pm GMT).

The people will simultaneously cast their votes for the 630 member lower chamber, known as the Camera dei Deuptati, and the 315 member Senate, known as the Camera del Senato.

The first exit polls should be published immediately after polls close at 11pm local time but votes are not expected to be fully counted until around 2pm on Monday local time (1pm GMT).

Here is the latest on the Italian Election 2018 as polls open. All times in GMT.</s>The Italian election 2018 in which voters will elect the 945 members of the parliament for the 18th legislature since 1948 will take place on Sunday, March 4 2018. In Italy, elections for MPs and Senators take place every five years - with 630 members of the Camera dei Deputati (lower chamber) and 315 of the Camera del Senato (the Senate/upper house) vying to retain and regain a seat this weekend. On election day this Sunday, polls will be open from 7am until 11pm across the country (6am until 10pm GMT). The first exit polls should be published immediately after and the votes are expected to be fully counted around 2pm on Monday local time (3pm GMT).

However, the first actual results could be released in the early hours of Monday, according to media reports. Everyone over 18-years-old gets a vote - but only people over 25 can elect representatives in the upper chamber. Voters are presented with two sheets of paper, one to choose members of the lower chamber and one to choose the ones of the upper one. The upper chamber also has a small portion of people ( a vita, senators for life) who can’t be elected but are appointed by the President for specific merits and retain their seats for their life. i.e. Architect Renzo Piano is a Senatore a vita.

People aged between 18-24 can only vote for members of the lower chamber. Under Italian law, opinion polls are not allowed in the final two weeks before the vote. Polling data has now been suspended ahead of next week’s vote - but an Index poll from February 2018 seems to show the clear winners this week. Berlusconi’s centre-right party Forza Italia is currently in a pre-election coalition with the Northern League and the post- Brothers of Italy (FDI).

This coalition has the best chance of forming a government with the Index poll suggesting the group could take 295 seats. The coalition partners have agreed that the party that gets the most votes will then get to choose the candidate for Prime Minister. Out of the three parties, Forza Italia is currently in the lead in the polls but Berlusconi will not be allowed to take public office as he remains barred after a tax fraud conviction in 2013. In Italy’s general election in 2013, the first exit polls correctly indicated the Democratic Party had enough votes to win. But those same polls also overstated how much support the Democrats would receive and underestimated the votes for the populist, eurosceptic Five Star Movement.</s>TICONDEROGA |The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce has a raft of new members as it ends another year of growth, chamber officials say.

“(It) was a year of growth for the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce in a variety of ways including memberships, expanded and new partnerships, new staff member, as well as services the chamber offers to its members and the entire Ticonderoga area,” Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Matthew Courtright said. “Although 2017 certainly had its challenges, overall it was a successful year. The chamber is honored to continue serve, market, promote and provide an array of benefits for their members as well as the Ticonderoga area chamber members and partners make all of the efforts of the chamber to make the Ticonderoga area a better place to live, work, and visit possible.”

He said the chamber is looking towards to the future and plans for this year and beyond are in the works.

“The chamber offers an array of benefits to their members and is encouraging them to maximize their benefits as well as understand the importance of supporting the chamber,” he said.

The chamber signed up 21 new members last year.

He said the chamber offers marketing, promotion, publicity and exposure, business support, services, and resources, business seminars and trainings, communications, member referrals, partnerships, and creditability, community involvement, and support.

“Being a member of the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce is not only an investment in your business or organization but in the community as a whole,” Courtright said. “Our members along with our community partners truly allow us to serve the Ticonderoga Area and work to make the area a better place. As the chamber continues to grow and move into the future, we will work even harder for our members, partners, the business community and the Ticonderoga area as a whole.”

For more information, contact the chamber at 518-585-6619, chamberinfo@ticonderogany.com or visit www.ticonderogany.com.
Italians go to the polls today to elect the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 members of the Senate of the Republic.