ROME, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Italian voters delivered no clear winner but rewarded anti-immigrant, euroskeptic and populist forces, according to interior ministry numbers published Monday.
At least 73 percent of Italy's 46.5 million voting age citizens turned out on Sunday to renew the 315-member Senate and the 630-member Lower House.
Halfway through an interior ministry vote count on Monday, the center-right coalition led by media mogul Silvio Berlusconi scored close to 38 percent in the Senate and 37 percent in the House, with the rightwing, euroskeptic and anti-immigrant League pulling ahead of Berlusconi's party and prompting its leader, Matteo Salvini, to claim victory.
"I am and remain a populist," he told a televised press conference, adding that voters have "punished the arrogance of (center-left Democratic Party leader Matteo) Renzi".
The biggest individual winner was the populist Five Star Movement, which took around 32 percent in both houses of parliament. Its leader Luigi Di Maio called the results "a triumph".
"We have tripled our MPs," Di Maio told a televised press conference.
He took pains to reassure "international observers, investors, Europeans and Italians" that the Five Star Movement can be trusted, adding that "we are open to debate with all political forces."
The big loser was the Democratic Party of outgoing Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, which dipped below 20 percent in both houses of parliament and came in at just over 20 percent in combination with its smaller allies.
This prompted speculation that Renzi, who is set to hold a press conference later on Monday, may step down.
