People in Spain go to the polls

A total of 37.4 million registered voters, of which 2.3 million will be abroad, will be able to vote in the elections where 350 deputies in the Assembly and 208 of the 265 senators in the Senate will be determined.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Spain announced that 210,000 ballot boxes were installed throughout the country on the occasion of the elections.

SUMMER TIME ARRIVES FOR THE SECOND TIME

The elections, which coincided with the summer period for the second time in the history of democracy in the country, became the subject of controversy due to the extreme heat, while in many schools where the ballot boxes were installed, fans and plenty of water were brought to the tables where the ballot boxes were located.

More than 90,000 police and gendarmerie will work to guarantee security during the voting process, which will take place between 09:00 and 20:00 local time (10:00-21:00 CEST).

It is stated that the cost of the elections will be 220.87 million euros.

AN EXPECTED PARTICIPATION OF 70 PERCENT

While participation in the last elections held in Spain in December 2019 was 75.75 percent, in tomorrow’s elections a participation of around 70 percent is expected.

Due to the extreme heat and the summer period, approximately 2.6 million Spaniards voted by mail, while the vote-by-mail rate, which reached a record level, was double that of the last elections.

The Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) and the ultra-left parties Unidas Podemos, which have been in power in Spain since January 2020 and are the first coalition government in the country’s history of democracy, rule the country with a parliamentary minority.

WHAT DOES THE SURVEY SAY?

Polls show the main right-wing opposition Popular Party (PP) will emerge as the leading party in the elections but will be forced to form a coalition government with the far-right party Vox as it will not win a parliamentary majority. Given this possibility, a far-right party will come to power for the first time in Spain after the Franco era.

Alberto Núñez Feijoo, 62, who was elected president of the PP almost a year ago, asked the PSOE to abstain and support the minority government, so as not to cooperate with Vox in the event that it emerged as the leading party in the elections.

Feijoo left the door ajar to form a coalition government with Vox if necessary given the refusal of the PSOE.

The PSOE leader and Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, had delayed the general elections, which under normal circumstances should be in range, so as not to lose more votes after the defeat in local elections on May 28 and to persuade left-wing voters to go to the polls.

According to the electoral tradition in Spain, with the closing of the polls at 8:00 p.m., the results of the polls will be broadcast on television, and the official results will be announced by the Ministry of the Interior from 9:00 p.m. (AA)