In Spain, polling is underway for 350 seats of Parliament. Ruling Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap election after a dismal performance at the May regional and local elections in which his Socialist Party came second to its main rival, the conservative Popular Party.  Prior to that, Sánchez had insisted he would ride out his four-year term, indicating that an election would be held in December.

In the May election, the conservative People’s Party led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo come ahead in all but three of Spain’s 12 regions.  In some regions, the People’s Party aligned with the ultranationalist Vox party to take power.  Vox Party leader Santiago Abascal is a Spanish nationalist whose popularity has been driven by fierce opposition to Catalan separatism,  feminism, and anti-immigration policies.

Since 2020, 51-year-old Sánchez is leading the first coalition government of Spain's modern era together with Unidas Podemos. He hopes his government's social reforms, crisis management, and handling of a strongly performing economy will persuade voters to keep him in office.

This is the first Spanish general election of modern times held in the searing heat of mid-summer when many Spaniards are on holiday. Out of 37 million voters, around 2.5 million opted for postal votes. Polling for the rest of Spain's voters is taking place from 07:00-18:00 (GMT).