Paloma Prieto Del Valle
in Madrid

Two voters have told the BBC why they have decided to support the far-right Vox party, which could play kingmaker depending on the results of the election.

Maite Serrano says for many years the conservative People's Party "has been an accomplice to the left-wing policies".

"Hence I support Vox because I consider [it] is the only party that can radically change all the left-wing policies that have been approved little by little," she says.

Nadia Alsani says she wants to support the opposition parties. "I believe [Pedro] Sánchez shouldn’t be ruling this country," she adds.

Guy Hedgecoe
in Madrid

An estimated 1.6 million young people will vote today for the first time.

According to a June poll carried out by the National Research Centre (CIS) - which has faced a good deal of criticism for allegedly exaggerating support for the left in its studies - the Socialists (PSOE) are the leading party among 18-24 year olds, followed by the People’s Party (PP), Sumar and Vox, respectively.

Maria Zaccaro
Live reporter

While overall turnout appears to be tracking higher than 2019 so far, a suspension of train services to and from Valencia is disrupting voters there.

The services were suspended on Sunday morning due to an incident in the San Isidro tunnel. State-owned railway company Adif says, external there is an accumulation of water in the tunnel after a fire was extinguished.

Staff have been working to provide alternatives.

But according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, external, some of those stuck at Valencia train station Joaquín Sorolla say they were travelling exclusively to exercise their right to vote.

Laura Gozzi
in Madrid

As we've reported - turnout in this election is so far higher than at the same point during the last poll.

That people are voting earlier in the day is perhaps unsurprising - temperatures in Spain are hovering around 35C in much of the country, reaching a peak of 40C in the south.

In several towns, polling stations were moved to places that had air conditioning, and city authorities across the country installed fans and supplied thousands of bottles of water to people who braved the heat to cast their vote.

But the trickle of voters was steady this morning at a polling station in southern Madrid.

Spaniards weren’t due to vote for a new parliament until later this year, but left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called today’s snap election after his party’s dismal performance in May’s local elections.

The left did badly in the local polls, with Sanchez’s Socialist party coming second to its main rival - the conservative Popular Party.

Some see Sánchez’s decision to call an election as an attempt to outmanoeuvre the Popular Party - by forcing it to campaign while negotiating uncomfortable post-local election coalition deals with far-right party Vox.

Image source, Getty Images

As of 14:00 local time on Sunday (13:00 BST), there was about a 40.5% voter turnout in the snap election, according to Spain's Interior Ministry.

At the last election in November 2019, that number sat at 37.9% at the same hour.

The timing of today's vote had been criticised as so many in Spain are on holiday, but the latest turnout figure doesn't include the 2.6 million voters who chose to cast their ballot by post.

Voters have until 20:00 (or 21:00 in the Canary Islands) to have their say.

Pedro Sánchez cast his vote alongside his wife in Madrid at 09:00 on Sunday, with Spanish media outlet RTVE reporting that he was met by people calling him both "prime minister" and "liar".

He thanked all sectors involved in coordinating the election day and told reporters he had a good feeling about the outcome, Reuters news agency says.

At about 11:30, Alberto Núñez Feijóo and his wife also cast their ballot, and thanked Spaniards for voting despite the hot weather, RTVE reports.

Leader of the far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, said he expected a "change of course" in Spain following today's elections, and that any result for Vox would be "heroic".

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

As ever in Spanish politics, the issue of national unity and regional independence has loomed large over this election.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been criticised by parties on the right for relying on parliamentary support from Catalan nationalists, who attempted to unilaterally break away from Spain in 2017.

He has also received support from Basque nationalists, linked in many voters’ minds with the terror campaign waged against the Spanish state by ETA, the military wing of the movement, for decades.

The economy is also a major issue, where - despite better growth and lower inflation than some of its neighbours - joblessness is higher in Spain than anywhere else in the European Union.

The conservative Popular Party and far-right Vox party have sought to make issues around Spanish identity a major theme of the campaign, with the latter promoting an anti-immigration message.

Both main parties on the right have strongly criticised the government’s reforms on LGBT+ and gender issues, while a controversial law on sexual consent has also come up throughout the campaign.

Polls opened at 09:00 local time (08:00 BST), although at least 2.5 million of the more than 37 million people registered to vote have opted to do so by post - an unprecedented number explained perhaps by the timing of this snap election.

They will close at 20:00 local time (19:00 BST), except in the Canary Islands which are an hour behind.

A party needs to secure an absolute majority of 176 seats in Spain’s 350-seat congress - or join a coalition to take power.

Voters will also be choosing 208 of 265 senators in the upper house.

The results are expected to be announced before midnight but it could take weeks or months for a new government to be formed if there’s no clear winner.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Angeles Visdomine/ EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

It’s polling day in Spain, and millions of Spaniards face a choice between two vastly different visions of their country.

Spain’s current socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will hope his gamble of calling a snap election pays off, looking to his social reforms and his record on the economy to keep him in office.

But his party is lagging behind in the polls, and the conservative Popular Party have their eye on victory - even if that means relying on the support of the far-right Vox party.

Whether you’re a seasoned expert on Spanish politics or a total newbie, we’ve got you covered.

Our reporter Laura Gozzi will be writing for us from Madrid, with Paul Kirby, Maria Zaccaro and Antoinette Radford in London and George Bowden in Washington bringing all the key lines and analysis.