• The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) is projected to win the most seats in Spain’s snap election, according to exit polls.
• But PSOE won’t have enough seats to form a government and will have to join forces with another party.
• The country’s far-right party, Vox, scored a significant victory, taking in nearly 10% of the vote.
• This will be the first time a far-right party will be represented in Spain’s parliament since the end of military rule in the 1970s, according to the BBC.
• Read more stories like this on BusinessInsider.com.

Nearly 75% of eligible Spaniards turned out to vote Sunday, with exit poll’s projecting a large victory for Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) against the far-right party Vox and the conservative People’s Party. But the victory isn’t a slam dunk for those worried about the populist wave seemingly sweeping the globe.

It’s projected that PSOE, the party of the country’s current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will secure the most parliamentary seats, between 116 and 120, but ultimately split the majority with the People’s Party, according to The Guardian, which is projected to win 65 or 66 seats. In 2016, People’s Party won 137 seats.

PSOE will have to join with another party to form a government. If they don’t, it’s possible that another election could be called.

The much-watched far-right party Vox is projected to only win between 36 and 38 seats. The low numbers may seem like a loss on their face, but in fact, the number of seats won mark a significant victory for the party. A far-right party has not been represented in Spanish parliament since the end of military rule in the country in the 1970s, according to the BBC.

Vox, whose leaders have outspokenly opposed feminism, free immigration policy, and social welfare programs, has centered their existence around resisting the effort of Catalan separatists to make the Spanish state separate from Spain as a whole.

The party won its first major victory in a regional election in December, where it took 11% of the vote. With its national victory, it’s cemented itself as a major political player for years to come.

Besides playing an extremely important role as a foil for Vox, the issues of Catalonia was key leading up to the election.

PM Sanchez was only elected through forming a coalition with autonomous Basque and Catalan parties. They would eventually reject Sanchez’s budget in February which led the prime minister to call snap elections in an attempt to solidify more power.

While Sanchez did not support succession, his cooperation and work with Catalan secessionists appeared to fuel criticisms from Vox.

Now, it’s not clear who Sanchez will seek out to form a government. Left-wing party Podemos shares similar values with PSOE, but are only projected to win around 14% of the vote.

Spain is headed for its tightest election in decades – here’s how it could all go haywire

Here’s what you need to know about 8 big elections that will affect 2.2 billion people </s> In this Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018 photo, Spain's far-right Vox Party President Santiago Abascal, centre, with the general secretary, Javier Ortega, left, and regional candidate Francisco Serrano take part in a rally during regional elections in Andalusia, in Seville, Spain. The Socialists won just 33 seats in the Andalusia legislature, compared to 47 in 2015. The party could lose control of Spain's most populated region for the first time in 36 years if parties on the right can agree to form a government. The anti-immigrant, extreme right Vox party won 12 seats - its first in any Spanish legislative body. (AP Photo/Gogo Lobato) (AP) </s> A far-right party has won seats in a Spanish regional parliament for the first time since the country returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

With 99% of the votes counted in Andalucía, the small Vox party took 12 seats in the 109-member regional parliament.

The Socialists won the election, but saw their support plummet to just 33 seats, compared to 47 in 2015 – far from the majority of 55 seats needed to govern.

The result means that Vox, which opposes illegal immigration and Catalan independence, has exceeded even the most optimistic poll predictions which had forecast a possible five seat win. The party’s platform includes restricting abortion and rolling back domestic violence laws.

Vox had not previously held any seats in any legislative body in Spain since its founding four years ago, and now it has the key to forming a government in the nation’s most populated region.

“Now is the moment to say loud and clear who we are and that we have come to stay,” Vox candidate Francisco Serrano told a crowd of supporters who chanted: “Spain! Spain! Spain!”

Andalucía has been a Socialist bastion for 36 years, but the party could lose control of the government if parties on the right join forces to oust regional leader Susana Diaz, though that would require that they join forces with Vox.

“Despite winning the election it is a sad night for the Socialist Party,” Diaz said.

“There has been a real loss of ground for the Left. But the worst thing is that the extreme right, a phenomenon that has appeared in the rest of Europe, has arrived here.”

Diaz said she would call on other parties to “build a firewall against the extreme right in Spain.”

“Each party must decide if they are against the extreme right or if they will rely on their support to enter into government,” she said.

The Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) scored the worst result in its history winning 33 seats so far.

Its potential ally on the left Adelante Andalusia (Forward Andalusia) picked up only 17 seats, depriving the left of a majority, while the conservative Popular Party (PP) won 26 seats and the Ciudadanos liberals took 21 seats.

The poll had been seen as the first of a series of tests for Socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez.

It was Sanchez’s first electoral test since taking office in June after winning a surprise vote of no-confidence in parliament against the previous PP government of Mariano Rajoy over a corruption scandal.

His Socialists had ruled Andalusia since 1982.

The vote is a mere foretaste of the coming “super election year”: 2019 will see municipal, regional and European elections and perhaps even an early general election to coincide with the other May polls.

All eyes will now be on Vox, which could try to use Andalusia as a springboard in next year’s elections.

Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report </s> A far-right party on Sunday won seats in a Spanish regional parliament for the first time since the country returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, results in Andalusia's election showed.

With 93 percent of the votes counted, the small Vox party took 12 seats, handing a majority to right-wing parties in the southern Spanish region governed by the Socialists for the last 36 years.

The result means that Vox, which opposes illegal immigration and Catalan independence, has exceeded even the most optimistic poll predictions which had forecast a possible five seat win.

The Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) scored the worst result in its history winning 33 seats so far.

Its potential ally on the left Adelante Andalusia (Forward Andalusia) picked up only 17 seats, depriving the left of a majority, while the conservative Popular Party (PP) won 26 seats and the Ciudadanos liberals took 21 seats.

The poll had been seen as the first of a series of tests for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

It was Sanchez's first electoral test since taking office in June after winning a surprise vote of no-confidence in parliament against the previous PP government of Mariano Rajoy over a corruption scandal.

His Socialists had ruled Andalusia since 1982.

The vote, however, is a mere foretaste of the coming 'super election year': 2019 will see municipal, regional and European elections and perhaps even an early general election to coincide with the other May polls.

All eyes will now be on Vox which can try to use Andalusia as a springboard in next year's elections.

If it did win a seat in the next general election, it would be the first time a far-right party had had a presence in Spain's lower house of parliament since 1982.

In all, 6.5 million were eligible to vote in the ballot in Andalusia, the country's most populous region and among its poorest.

The PSOE's Susana Diaz -- who last year unsuccessfully challenged Sanchez for the party leadership -- had been seeking to retain the regional presidency while also giving Sanchez and the national party a fillip.

But Vox sought to throw a spoke in their wheels by adding its voice to traditional conservative forces led by the PP and market-friendly Ciudadanos, which has in recent years challenged the PP for the mantle of Spain's dominant liberal force.

"These elections are key as a first step in the removal of Pedro Sanchez" and the PSOE from the government, PP leader Pablo Casado told Radio COPE on Friday.

Casado said a defeat in its traditional southern fiefdom would render the PSOE's attempt to retain power nationally "unsustainable." The Socialists are already walking a tightrope given they hold just 84 seats in the 350-seat national assembly.

Both the PP and Ciudadanos had said during the campaign that if rightwing forces together won a majority of seats they would not rule out accepting support in the regional chamber from Vox.

Vox's campaigning had mainly been against illegal immigration and any decentralisation of powers from Madrid.

"Vox is going to back whichever option entails throwing out Susana Diaz and the Socialist Party" from the regional administration, party deputy-leader Javier Ortega Smith said Saturday.

Diaz meanwhile called for "stability" as she ended her campaign, warning voters against forces of the right and far-right that "want to take us backwards".

Turnout by 1700 GMT was 46.4 percent, the regional government said -- five points down on the last election in 2015. </s> A far-right party has gained its first electoral success in Spain since the country's return to democracy in the late 1970s. The ruling Socialists suffered a setback in the regional elections in Andalusia, with the anti-immigrant, extreme right Vox party claiming 12 seats in the 109-member regional parliament. It was the first electoral test for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s party since he took power in June. Vox had not previously held any seats in any legislative body in Spain since its founding four years ago, and now it has the key to forming a government in Spain’s most populated region. Spain only transitioned to democracy upon the death of former military dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

“Now is the moment to say loud and clear who we are and that we have come to stay,” a Vox candidate told a crowd of supporters who chanted “Spain! Spain! Spain!” Andalusia has been a Socialist bastion for 36 years, but the party could lose control of the government if parties on the right join forces to oust regional leader Susana Diaz, though that would require that they join forces with Vox. With 99% of the votes counted, the Socialists won the election, but saw their support plummet to just 33 seats, compared to 47 in 2015. That left the Socialists far from the majority of 55 seats needed to govern, even if they can get the backing of the far-left party Adelante Andalucia, which took 17 seats. “Despite winning the election it is a sad night for the Socialist Party,” Ms Diaz said. “There has been a real loss of ground for the Left. But the worst thing is that the extreme right, a phenomenon that has appeared in the rest of Europe, has arrived here.” The conservative Popular Party and centre-right Citizens party held 47 seats between them. That gives them fewer than the Socialists and Adelante Andalucia, so they would need the votes of Vox to reach the absolute majority.

Ms Diaz said she would call on other parties to “build a firewall against the extreme right in Spain”. “Each party must decide if they are against the extreme right or if they will rely on their support to enter into government,” she said. Vox’s platform includes a crackdown on immigration, a defence of Spain’s unity against Catalonia secessionists, restricting abortion and rolling back domestic violence laws. Two members of Vox shouted insults at Ms Diaz when she submitted her ballot early on Sunday in Seville. Vox said both people had been removed from their positions as voting monitors due to “inappropriate behaviour”. Mr Sanchez leads a minority government in Spain since he toppled former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who lost a no-confidence vote. There is speculation Mr Sanchez may call early elections if he cannot pass a national budget this year instead of serving out the legislative term that runs until 2020. </s> A far-right party won seats in a Spanish regional parliament for the first time since the country returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, results in Andalusia's election showed.

With more than 99 percent of the votes counted late Sunday, the small Vox party took 12 seats, handing a majority to right-wing parties in the southern Spanish region governed by the Socialists for more than three decades.

The result means that Vox, which opposes illegal immigration and Catalan independence, has exceeded even the most optimistic poll predictions which had forecast a possible five seat win.

"The Andalusians have made history... and got rid of 36 years of socialist rule," said Vox leader Santiago Abascal.

The Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) scored the worst result in its history winning 33 seats.

Its potential ally on the left Adelante Andalusia (Forward Andalusia) picked up only 17 seats, depriving the left of a majority, while the conservative Popular Party (PP) won 26 seats and the Ciudadanos liberals took 21 seats.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen sent "warm congratulations" in a tweet to her "Vox friends".

The poll had been seen as the first of a series of tests for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

It was Sanchez's first electoral test since taking office in June after winning a surprise vote of no-confidence in parliament against the previous PP government of Mariano Rajoy over a corruption scandal.

His Socialists had ruled Andalusia since 1982.

The vote, however, is a mere foretaste of the coming 'super election year': 2019 will see municipal, regional and European elections and perhaps even an early general election to coincide with the other May polls.

All eyes will now be on Vox which can try to use Andalusia as a springboard in next year's elections.

If it did win a seat in the next general election, it would be the first time a far-right party had had a presence in Spain's lower house of parliament since 1982.

In all, 6.5 million were eligible to vote in the ballot in Andalusia, the country's most populous region and among its poorest.

The PSOE's Susana Diaz -- who last year unsuccessfully challenged Sanchez for the party leadership -- had been seeking to retain the regional presidency while also giving Sanchez and the national party a fillip.

But Vox sought to throw a spoke in their wheels by adding its voice to traditional conservative forces led by the PP and market-friendly Ciudadanos, which has in recent years challenged the PP for the mantle of Spain's dominant liberal force.

"These elections are key as a first step in the removal of Pedro Sanchez" and the PSOE from the government, PP leader Pablo Casado told Radio COPE on Friday.

Casado said a defeat in its traditional southern fiefdom would render the PSOE's attempt to retain power nationally "unsustainable." The Socialists are already walking a tightrope given they hold just 84 seats in the 350-seat national assembly.

Both the PP and Ciudadanos had said during the campaign that if rightwing forces together won a majority of seats they would not rule out accepting support in the regional chamber from Vox.

Vox's campaigning had mainly been against illegal immigration and any decentralisation of powers from Madrid.

Pablo Iglesias, leader of the far-left Podemos party, called on all leftist groups to mobilise "to defend liberties, social justice, fraternity and ultimately democracy".

Diaz meanwhile called for "stability" as she ended her campaign, warning voters against forces of the right and far-right that "want to take us backwards". </s> Spain's governing centre-left Socialists won the country's election Sunday but must seek backing from smaller parties to maintain power, while a far-right party rode an unprecedented surge of support to enter the lower house of parliament for the first time in four decades.

Voters in Spain had become disillusioned as the country struggled with a recession, austerity cuts, corruption scandals, the divisive Catalan independence demands and a rise in far-right Spanish nationalism not seen since Spain's dictatorship ended in the 1970s.

With 99 per cent of ballots counted, the Socialists led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez won nearly 29 per cent of the vote, capturing 123 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies. The new far-right Vox party made its national breakthrough by capturing about 10 per cent of the vote, which would give it 24 seats.

Vox's success apparently came at the expense of the once-dominant conservative Popular Party, which fell to 66 seats, losing half of its support since the last election in 2016. The conservatives also lost votes to the centre-right Citizens party, which will increase its number of seats from 32 to 57.

"We told you that we were going to begin a re-conquering of Spain and that's what we have done," Vox leader Santiago Abascal said, in reference to the 15th-century campaign by the Spanish Catholic Kings to end Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula.

Vox, which was formed five years ago, has promised to defend Spain from its "enemies," citing feminists, liberal elites and Muslims among others. Its emergence on the national stage gives Spain five political parties, furthering political fragmentation in a country that was alternately ruled for decades by the Socialists and the Popular Party.

Santiago Abascal, leader of far-right party Vox, is seen at a polling station in Madrid. (Andrea Comas/Associated Press)

To remain in office, Sanchez will have to form a governing alliance with smaller parties, including the far-left United We Can led by Pablo Iglesias.

Iglesias said after the vote the he "would have liked a better result, but it's been enough to stop the right-wing and build a left-wing coalition government," adding that he's already offered support to Sanchez.

But Sanchez will still need 15 more seats to reach a majority in the 350-seat lower house of parliament, meaning he may be forced to make pacts with Catalan and other separatist parties — moves that would anger many Spaniards, especially the nationalist Vox supporters.

Pablo Casado, who has steered the Popular Party further to the right to stop it from losing votes to Vox, called the ballot the country's "most decisive" in years. Polls only a week ago showed that about one-third of Spain's nearly 37 million voters were still undecided.

Turnout in Sunday's vote was around 75 per cent, up more than eight points since the previous election in 2016. The surge in turnout included a huge boost in the northeastern Catalonia region, which has been embroiled in a political quagmire since its failed secession bid in 2017 put several separatist leaders in jail while they undergo trial.

People line up to cast their votes at a polling station in Barcelona. Turnout in Sunday's vote was around 75 per cent. (Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press)

The arrival of Vox in Madrid's national parliament marks a big shift in Spain, where the far right has not played a significant role since the country's transition to democracy following the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975.

The Popular Party and the Citizens party focused their campaigns on unseating Sanchez, hinting they could create a conservative coalition government — with the backing of Vox — like the one that recently ousted the Socialists from the southern Andalusia region.

Speaking Sunday after voting, Sanchez said he wanted the ballot to yield a parliamentary majority that can undertake the key social and political reforms that Spain needs.

The prime minister said he wanted "a stable government that with calmness, serenity and resolution looks to the future and achieves the progress that our country needs in social justice, national harmony" and in fighting corruption.

Spanish Prime Minister and Socialist Party candidate Pedro Sanchez casts his vote inside a polling station in Pozuelo de Alarcon, near Madrid. (Bernat Armangue/Associated Press)

At the Palacio Valdes school in Madrid, voter Alicia Sanchez, a 38-year-old administrator, worried about the influence of the nationalist Vox party.

"I've always come to vote, but this time it feels special. I'm worried about how Vox can influence policies on women and other issues. They are clearly homophobic. Reading their program is like something from 50 years ago," she said.

Having voted in all elections since Spain returned to democratic rule four decades ago, Amelia Gomez, 86, and Antonio Roman, 90, said they had little faith in any candidate.

"All I want is for whoever wins to take care of the old people," Gomez said, complaining that the two of them together receive less than 1,000 euros ($1,500 Cdn) a month in state pensions. </s> Nearly 75% of eligible Spaniards turned out to vote Sunday, with exit poll's projecting a large victory for Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) against the far-right party Vox and the conservative People's Party. But the victory isn't a slam dunk for those worried about the populist wave seemingly sweeping the globe.

It's projected that PSOE, the party of the country's current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will secure the most parliamentary seats, between 116 and 120, but ultimately split the majority with the People's Party, according to The Guardian, which is projected to win 65 or 66 seats. In 2016, People's Party won 137 seats.

PSOE will have to join with another party to form a government. If they don't, it's possible that another election could be called.

The much-watched far-right party Vox is projected to only win between 36 and 38 seats. The low numbers may seem like a loss on their face, but in fact, the number of seats won mark a significant victory for the party. A far-right party has not been represented in Spanish parliament since the end of military rule in the country in the 1970s, according to the BBC.

Vox, whose leaders have outspokenly opposed feminism, free immigration policy, and social welfare programs, has centered their existence around resisting the effort of Catalan separatists to make the Spanish state separate from Spain as a whole.

The party won its first major victory in a regional election in December, where it took 11% of the vote. With its national victory, it's cemented itself as a major political player for years to come.

Catalonia’s Independence supporters march during a demonstration on November 11, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Besides playing an extremely important role as a foil for Vox, the issues of Catalonia was key leading up to the election.

PM Sanchez was only elected through forming a coalition with autonomous Basque and Catalan parties. They would eventually reject Sanchez's budget in February which led the prime minister to call snap elections in an attempt to solidify more power.

While Sanchez did not support succession, his cooperation and work with Catalan secessionists appeared to fuel criticisms from Vox.

Now, it's not clear who Sanchez will seek out to form a government. Left-wing party Podemos shares similar values with PSOE, but are only projected to win around 14% of the vote.

Spain is headed for its tightest election in decades — here's how it could all go haywire

Here's what you need to know about 8 big elections that will affect 2.2 billion people </s> MADRID — The latest on the Spanish national election (all times local):

Spain’s governing Socialist Party has won the country’s parliamentary election but will need backing from smaller parties to stay in power. And for the first time since the 1970s, a far-right party will have members in Spain’s lower house of parliament.

With nearly all ballots counted from Sunday election, the Socialists headed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez won nearly 29% of the votes. They captured 122 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies.

The new far-right Vox party won 10% of the vote and will have 24 seats. Its success came at the expense of the once-dominant conservative Popular Party, which fell to 66 seats

The Popular Party lost votes both to Vox and to the center-right Citizens party, which will increase its number of seats from 32 to 57.

Spain’s socialist prime minister says he will consider talks to form a new government only with parties that respect the constitution and promote social justice.

Pedro Sánchez declared his party the winner in Sunday’s general election, a ballot in which the far-right made inroads for the first time since Spain returned to democratic rule.

Sánchez hinted at a preference for a left-wing governing alliance but his stress on the constitution also sent a warning to Catalan separatists even though he may need their support to be elected by Parliament’s lower house to a new term as prime minister.

Spain’s constitution says regions have no right to secede and sovereignty must be decided by all Spaniards, not just by inhabitants of a particular region. Catalan separatists defied Spain in 2017 with a referendum and subsequent independence declaration. They won 22 seats Sunday.

The leader of Spain’s conservatives is acknowledging that Sunday’s election results for his Popular Party are “very bad” — its worst showing ever in a national vote.

Pablo Casado also told his Popular Party members Sunday night that “we have been losing our electoral support for several elections.”

According to provisional results, the Popular Party will see its number of seats in Parliament shrink to 66 from the 137 it won in the 2016 elections.

Casado blames the debacle on the splitting of voters on the right, with many being lured away by the center-right Citizens party and the new far-fight Vox party.

The Socialist Party of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez replaced the Popular Party as the biggest vote getter and is poised to stay in power.

The leader of the United We Can anti-austerity party in Spain says that it has already offered the incumbent prime minister Pedro Sánchez his desire to form a left-wing coalition government.

Pablo Iglesias spoke with provisional results in the country’s third election in four years gave the victory to the ruling Socialist Party but short of a parliamentary majority.

He said “we would have liked a better result, but it’s been enough to stop the right-wing and build a left-wing coalition government.”

United we Can, whose name in Spanish is Unidas Podemos, won 35 seats, 10 less than in the previous national election, in 2016. Iglesias blamed the result on the party’s internal leadership fights.

He said the negotiations for possible pacts will last a long time.

Vox leader Santiago Abascal has euphorically celebrated his new far-right party’s results in Spain’s general election.

Abascal has told supporters in central Madrid that he blames the once-dominant conservative Popular Party for not being able to garner enough votes for the right-wing to oust incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Abascal gave a thumbs-up sign to celebrate his party’s showing as confetti in the party’s green and white colors showered down.

He said “we told you that we were going to begin a reconquering of Spain and that’s what we have done.” That is a reference to the 15th-century campaign by Spanish Catholic Kings to end Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula.

The 43-year-old Abascal said that the 24 lawmakers from Vox that will sit in Spain’s lower house of parliament will be enough for the party to set the political agenda.

He said that the lawmakers “will ask those things that preoccupy Spaniards.”

Vox, which was formed five years ago, has promised to defend Spain from its “enemies,” citing feminists, liberal elites and Muslims among others.

Spain’s government spokeswoman says the Socialist party has won the country’s general election with nearly all votes counted.

The result means that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will be able to enter negotiations for a governing alliance with the far-left United We Can Party, whose leader has offered to share a coalition Cabinet.

Both parties still need the votes of around 15 more lawmakers for Sánchez to be able to stay in office.

Government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said that the incumbent party of Sánchez received nearly 7 million votes, which results in 122 seats in the lower house of parliament.

Vox general secretary Javier Ortega Smith has told supporters that “today is historic” after the new far-right party won its first seats in the Spain’s parliament.

Provisional results give 24 seats to Vox in the lower chamber after Sunday’s election, with the Socialists taking the most votes.

Ortega Smith says that “this is an ephemeral victory since the left knows that with Vox their party is over.”

Ortega Smith adds: “the resistance is now in the Congress, and starting tomorrow millions of Spaniards that have been silenced with have a voice in Congress.”

Spain’s once-dominant conservative Popular Party is on track to lose more than half of its parliamentary seats amid far-right gains in the general election.

The conservative Popular Party, or PP, was once the leading force in parliament but will likely win only 65 seats — less than get half of its 2016 haul of 137 seats, according to partial results with about 90 percent of votes counted.

The PP’s influence has been diluted by the far-right Vox party, which looks set to make a strong entrance into parliament’s lower house with 24 lawmakers, according to the partial results. PP also lost votes to the center-right Citizens party, which will increase its number of seats from 32 to 57.

The Socialists are poised to become the most voted party since 2008, but will need to make pacts with other parties to remain in office.

Partial results in Spain’s election show the incumbent Socialists winning the most votes in the general election but falling well short of a majority. The far-right, meanwhile, has made strong gains.

The provisional results, with 50% of the ballots counted, show that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s party has won 126 seats and the far-left United We Can got 35. That is still 15 seats short of the 176 majority in the 350-member lower house.

If the results stand, that would mean Sánchez would also need to rely on smaller parties and separatists to stay in office.

The right-wing bloc would be short of a majority, according to the partial results. With 67 seats, the once-dominant Popular Party has lost almost half of its presence in the Congress of Deputies, losing votes to the center-right Citizens party, which grabbed 53 seats and far-right party Vox won 23.

Spain’s Interior Ministry says that turnout was over 75%, well above the average in the previous 12 elections since Spain returned to democratic rule.

Polls have closed in most of Spain in an election with one of the highest turnout levels in recent years amid division over the role that the far-right could play in influencing the country’s politics.

Participation in Sunday’s election was more than 9% higher than during the 2016 vote, especially in the northeastern region of Catalonia, two hours polls closed.

Spanish media showed long lines still in many of the polling stations at 1800 GMT (2 p.m. EDT), when all voting is supposed to end everywhere but the Canary Islands, where voting finishes one hour later.

Voter turnout in Spain’s general election is over 9% higher than during the 2016 vote, especially in the northeastern region of Catalonia.

Two hours before the polls close Sunday, Spain’s Interior Ministry says nearly 60.8% of all eligible voters have already cast their ballots, up from 51.2% at the same time in the 2016 election.

In Catalonia, turnout is up to 64.2% from nearly 46.4% in 2016. This is the first national election since the region’s failed secession attempt in 2017.

In southern Andalusia, Spain’s most populous region, turnout has risen to nearly 57.3% from nearly 50.3%. Right-wing parties won Andalusia’s regional election in December, ending the ruling Socialists’ long-time hold on the region.

A highly polarized campaign that included rising support for the far-right nationalist Vox party and an uncertain result Sunday appear to have motivated voters.

Turnout is soaring in restive Catalonia as voters go to polling stations in much higher numbers for Spain’s first national election since the northeastern region’s failed secession attempt in 2017.

The Spanish Interior Ministry says that by 2 p.m. (1200 GMT), voter turnout in Catalonia is more than 11% higher than in 2016 elections, up from 32.31% to 43.52%.

Sunday’s election comes during the ongoing trial of 12 leaders of Catalonia’s secession bid who are facing charges including rebellion. Five of those defendants are running in the election from inside a jail cell.

Imma Margalef, a 60-year-old administrative assistant, says in Barcelona that she has voted for the pro-secession Republican Left for the first time because “I think it is unfair that they have put these people in jail.”

Pilar Olivar, a 62-year-old marine biologist, is against Catalonia seceding and says she has voted for the ruling Socialists to keep the right-wing parties from returning to power.

Spain’s Interior Ministry says turnout for Sunday’s national election so far is 4% higher than the previous ballot.

The ministry says, as of 2 p.m. (1200 GMT), 41.5% of all eligible voters have already cast their ballots Sunday, up from 36.9% at the same time in the 2016 election.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist party is favored to get the most votes, but it is expected to fall far short of a majority. The right-wing in Spain, long dominated by the conservative Popular Party, has now split into three groups, including the Citizens party and the far-right nationalist Vox party.

The uncertain outcome includes the likelihood that a far-right party could enter Parliament for the first time since the 1980s.

Polls close at 8 p.m. (1800GMT) for the nearly 37 million Spaniards allowed to vote.

The leader of Spain’s conservative opposition says that Sunday’s general election is perhaps the country’s “most decisive” in recent years.

Minutes after casting his vote in a polling station at a Madrid school, Popular Party leader Pablo Casado told reporters that he wishes for a stable government to emerge from the ballot.

Santiago Abascal, the leader of the first far-right party likely to grab a significant number of parliamentary seats since the 1980s, also voted in a public school in the Spanish capital.

“Millions of Spaniards are going to vote with hope. They are going to do it without fear for anything or anybody,” he told cameras.

Vox, which has revived Spanish nationalism in response to separatist and liberal-minded movements, posted a tweet with a picture adapted from a battle in HBO’s Game of Thrones series. A sword-wielding Vox warrior faces a wall of enemies carrying the symbols of Vox’s political opponents: media organizations seen by the party as unfavorable and feminist and gay rights logos.

“Let the battle start, #ForSpain” the tweet said.

Alicia Sánchez, 38, and her mother cast their ballots in Spain’s general election at the Palacio Valdes public school in central Madrid “in order to stop the racist extreme right” from making a significant power grab.

“I’ve always come to vote, but this time it feels special. I’m worried about how they can influence policies on women and other issues. They are clearly homophobic. Reading their program is like something from 50 years ago. I’m scared,” Sánchez said Sunday.

Minutes later, Amelia Gómez and Antonio Román, she 86 and he 90, emerged from the crowd flocking to the polling station.

Having voted in all elections since Spain returned to democratic rule four decades ago, following the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco, the couple they didn’t have much trust in politicians.

“All I want is for whoever wins to take care of the old people,” Gómez said, complaining that the two of them together receive less than 1,000 euros (1,100 euros) a month in state pensions.

“They need to watch for the poor, that’s their job,” Román added.

The five top candidates to become Spain’s next prime minister are casting their ballots and encouraging people to take advantage of the sunny spring day to come out and ensure a high turnout in Sunday’s general election.

All are voting in the Spanish capital except for the center-right Citizens party leader, Albert Rivera, who cast his ballot in a town near Barcelona.

Rivera, who has focused his campaign on unseating the incumbent Socialist prime minister, told reporters that a high turnout is needed for a government change and to “usher in a new era.”

Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the left-wing United We Can party, also stressed the importance of voting on Sunday.

“My feeling is that in Spain there is an ample progressive majority, and when there is high participation that becomes very clear,” Iglesias told reporters at a public school in the residential suburb near Madrid where he lives.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says he wants Sunday’s highly contested general election to yield a parliamentary majority that can undertake social and political reforms in the country.

Surrounded by cameras and accompanied by his wife, the 47-year old incumbent Socialist leader cast his ballot early on Sunday at a cultural center in an affluent suburban neighborhood of the Spanish capital.

He was the first of the five top candidates to vote in the general election marked by the rise of a far-right party and the high number of undecided voters.

All polls forecast that Sánchez’s Socialists will overtake the conservative Popular Party to garner the most votes, but Sánchez will be nowhere near a majority in the parliament’s Lower House.

Up for grabs are the 350 members of the Congress of Deputies, who then choose a government, and also 208 senators for the Upper House.

A divided Spain is voting in its third general election in four years, with all eyes on whether the rise of conservative nationalism will allow the right wing to unseat the incumbent prime minister.

Pedro Sánchez is set to win the most votes, but his Socialists seem far from scoring a majority in parliament to form a government on their own.

The fragmentation of the political landscape is the result of austerity that followed the economic recession, disenchantment with bipartisan politics and the recent rise of far-right populism.

Sánchez called Sunday’s ballot after a national budget proposal was rejected in the Lower Chamber by the center-right-conservative opposition and Catalan separatists pressing for self-determination in their northeastern region.

Voting stations opened at 9 a.m. (0700GMT) Sunday and will close at 8 p.m. (1800GMT), with results expected a few hours later.

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The governing social democrat Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) wins, but short of an absolute majority. The far-right Vox party finished fifth with 10% of the votes.