FACTBOX: Italy votes for 62nd government since World War Two

(Reuters) - Italians started voting in a parliamentary election on Sunday. Following are some facts about the vote:

WHY?:

- An early election was called when Romano Prodi resigned as prime minister in January, after the collapse of his centre-left coalition, which had been in power for just 20 months.

- Only one Italian government has lasted a full five-year term in the last 50 years, led by conservative Silvio Berlusconi between 2001-2006 and even he was forced to resign once during that time by fractious allies.

WHEN?:

- Voting takes place on Sunday, April 13, between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. (2 a.m-4 p.m. EDT) and on Monday, April 14, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. (1 a.m.-9 a.m.EDT)

- Only for regional, provincial and mayoral elections, if no candidate wins an absolute majority there will be a second round of voting on April 27-28.

WHAT?:

Voters elect:

- A new upper and lower house of the national parliament by selecting from lists headed by 32 candidates for prime minister, of whom only two -- 71-year-old Berlusconi and 52-year-old centre-left leader Walter Veltroni -- have a realistic chance of winning.

- Eight provincial presidents and councils (Asti, Varese, Massa Carrara, Rome, Benevento, Foggia, Catanzaro, Vibo Valentia).

- 426 mayors (including Rome, Treviso, Vicenza, Pisa, Brescia, Sondrio, Massa, Viterbo and Pescara).

- regional assemblies and governments in Sicily and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

WHO CAN VOTE?:

- 47.3 million people in Italy are eligible to vote for the lower house, or Chamber of Deputies, which has 630 seats.

- 43.2 million in Italy can vote for the Senate (25 is the minimum age for voting for the upper house, versus 18 for the lower house). The Senate has 315 elected members and seven unelected honorary lifetime members with full voting rights.