Spain votes in election that could see Socialists lose power
election that could see Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's governing Socialists lose power and a far-right party make up part of a new government for the first time in 50 years. Voting opened at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) and will close at 8 p.m.
(1800 GMT), when exit polls will be released. The final result is expected to be decided by fewer than a million votes and fewer than 10 seats in the 350-seat parliament, experts say. Sanchez called the election early after the left took a drubbing in local elections in May, but his gamble to wrong-foot his opponents could backfire.
Opinion polls show the election will likely produce a win for Alberto Nunez Feijoo's centre-right People's Party, but to form a government it will need to partner with Santiago Abascal's far-right Vox. This would be the first time a far-right party entered government since Francisco Franco's dictatorship ended in the 1970s. Many Spaniards are furious at being called out to vote at the height of the sweltering summer when they are on vacation.
The postal service reported on Saturday that postal votes had set an all-time record of 2.47 million, as many people choose to cast their ballot from the beach or mountains. «The status quo scenario and a hung parliament are still a real possibility, likely with 50% combined odds in our view,» Barclays wrote in a recent note to clients, citing the thin margin in PP's favour and overall uncertainty regarding polling and voter turnout. The outcome could hinge on whether Feijoo or Sanchez command the support of enough smaller parties to form a coalition government.
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