Voting is now underway in Spain's latest General Election 26 June 2016
Spain heads back to the polling stations again today a result of last December's election failing to produce a stable government. Attempts by acting PM Rajoy and then the opposition parties have all been unsuccessful.
December's election was a watershed for Spain, because the PP and the PSOE had previously alternated in power since the restoration of democracy in the 1970s.
All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies will be up for election, as well as 208 of 266 seats in the Senate.The anti-austerity party Podemos is expected to make big gains, potentially delivering another shock to the European system
Opinion polls suggest the parliament that emerges this time will be just as fragmented as the previous one. Four big parties and six smaller regional ones are likely to win seats in the 350-strong assembly, none of them coming close to a majority. The shockwaves of Brexit will still be reverberating.
Voting finishes at 18.00 GMT with results due to be known around 21.00 GMT, perhaps a little earlier.
As the uncertainty in Europe continues, this election is unlikely to help offer any calm and should continue to undermine the euro.
What do our Spanish readers/Europe watchers make of it all ?
