Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has dismissed last-ditch appeals for electoral reforms.
Today he insisted that only early elections could end the country's current political crisis.
Mr Berlusconi 'totally' rejected the idea of a transitional government in talks with Senate Speaker Franco Marini.
Mr Marini has been trying to ward off early polls in favour of overhauling a flawed electoral system.
Such a government could not be formed without the support of Mr Berlusconi, a billionaire who heads Forza Italia, the largest party on the Italian right.
Mr Berlusconi said an interim government would be 'unhelpful and a harmful waste of time.' He is currently high in opinion polls.
Mr Marini had launched talks last week to try and bring together support for a transitional administration following the collapse of Romano Prodi's centre-left government on 24 January.
A recent survey found that most voters are opposed to new elections under the current voting system.
The current electoral law, pushed through parliament by Mr Berlusconi's government in 2005, was designed to limit the extent of the centre-right's eventual defeat in 2006.
