Elections Set for April as Parliament is Dissolved

Italy dissolved its parliament and scheduled elections for early April, opening what promises to be a bitter campaign pitting Premier Silvio Berlusconi against a strong center-left opponent.

Parliament ended two weeks later than originally planned after Berlusconi negotiated a delay that allowed his government to push through a flurry of legislation. It also allowed the premier to keep up a barrage of TV and radio appearances.

Opinion polls have shown that the center-left bloc headed by Romano Prodi, a former premier, is leading the race by about 5 percentage points.