A man tore up and ate his ballot instead of casting it in Italy's elections on Sunday, saying he was "disgusted" over the dire state of politics in the country, the ANSA news agency reported.

"Politics disgust me," said Ciro D'Esposito, 41, who was detained for questioning after the incident in the southern town of Sorrento, near Naples.

"I knew this would get me into trouble, but I thought it was important to do it," D'Esposito said, as quoted by ANSA. The report described D'Esposito as a businessman from nearby Pompei who produces limonocello, a popular lemon-based Italian liqueur.

"I'm discouraged. What future are we preparing for our children? Who should I have voted for? Something has to change, we're heading towards ruin," he said.

His comments reflected the mood of an electorate fed up with politics in Italy, which has seen 62 governments come and go since World War II.

Destroying a ballot is a crime punishable by one to six years in jail in Italy.

More than 800,000 Italians signed a petition for a popular referendum on electoral reform last year, well above the necessary threshold of half a million.

Although it was set for May 18, the referendum had to be put off a year when the centre-right government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi collapsed in January, precipitating early elections.

Conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi is tipped to win a third term as prime minister in 14 years in the Sunday-Monday polls.