— more to come
Spaniards voted in masses in polls that were considered too hard to predict. Turnout during the day easily surpassed the levels seen in the previous three elections. Turnout stood at 60.75% at 18:00 local time, 16:00 GMT, around 11 percentage points more than the previous elections in 2016. In Catalonia, turnout was over 17 points higher than three years ago.
The center-left PSOE led by incumbent PM Pedro Sánchez was expected to come out as the biggest party in the new Congreso de Diputados, or parliament. However, the socialists were not expected to get close to a majority. The PSOE and the left-leaning Podemos hoped to reach a majority.
The right-wing block comprised of the previous ruling PP, the relatively new party Ciudadanos, and the ultra-right Vox also seemed short of a majority in the opinion polls leading to the vote. The balance of power may be held by regional parties from Catalonia and the Basque Country.
See: Spanish elections preview: 5 scenarios, mostly EUR/USD positive, at least at some point
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