ROME: Italians voted on Sunday for mayors of their largest cities in ballots which were testing Prime Minister Matteo Renzi`s popularity and could hand control of Rome to the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement (M5S) whose candidate would become the city`s first woman mayor.

Virginia Raggi, a 37-year-old lawyer from the M5S, was in pole position after the first round of voting on June 5 to seize the scandal-plagued capital from Renzi`s Democratic Party (PD). The PD took a bruising in the first round.

Italy`s four biggest cities are among 126 places holding run-offs between first and second-placed candidates after none won more than 50 per cent backing.

Attention is focused on Rome, financial hub Milan and the traditional PD stronghold Turin as 8.6 million people just under a fifth of the total electorate cast their vote.

Raggi won 35.2 per cent in the first round, pushing Renzi`s candidate Roberto Giachetti into second place, with a campaign promising to fight graft and privilege.

Conquering Rome would be a big victory for M5S, which has capitalised on widespread frustration with traditional parties as the left and right have been tainted by corruption scandals.

Local but emotive issues such as public transport and the poor state of the roads have been at the centre of debatein Rome, where many complain basic public services have been left to decay, and the former mayor was forced out by scandal.Persistent weakness in the euro zone`s third-largest economy has also fuelled frustration. M5S has promised universal income support for the poor and a referendum on membership of the euro.-Reuters