ROME, April 6 (UPI) -- Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi attacked his political opposition for possible vote fraud in the upcoming elections Thursday.
He called for international monitors to help keep watch, ANSA reported.
Berlusconi said United Nations observers should be brought in to oversee the voting "to defend us from these gentlemen (the opposition) who are experts in fraud."
"What with all the dailies on their side and all the TV stations behaving as we can see, we do indeed need fraud observers," he said.
Berlusconi, Italy's wealthiest man, has extensive media holdings including TV, radio and publishing operations.
The Democratic Left, the largest opposition party, said it found it worrisome that the head of government was "urging the intervention of United Nations' observers to ensure that voting procedures are regular."
The Saturday and Sunday elections will feature the introduction of electronic vote counting.
The system will be used for the first time in four of Italy's 20 regions -- Lazio around Rome, the island of Sardinia, Liguria on the northwest coast and Puglia on the heel. More than 10 million voters are expected to use electronic voting.
