With most of the votes in Spain now counted, the governing conservative party, Mariano Rajoy’s Popular Party (PP), has won the most seats in the general election.
But it has lost its majority. It now has to see if it can find another party which will agree to form a coalition. Previously, all the leading parties had said they wouldn’t do so.
The PP has won 122 seats but this is down from the 186 they held before the election. They needed 176 to form a majority in the 350-seat parliament.
The Socialists were given 91 seats.
With both fielding candidates for the very first time, anti-austerity Podemos captured 69 seats while liberal Ciudadanos came in with 40.
The Popular Party had 28.7% of the vote; the Socialists 22%; Podemos 20.6% and Ciudadanos 13.9%.
The results alter the established two-party system that has alternated holding power since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco ended in 1975.
Voter turnout was believed to be about 72%, a slight increase compared to the 2011 election.
The PP’s most natural partner for coalition is Ciudadanos, but the two together have insufficient seats for a majority.
Should the Socialists, Podemos, and Ciudadanos manage to come together, they would have a majority, although all would likely demand concessions.
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People's Party (Conservatives): 122 seats, 28% of vote
PSOE (Socialists): 93 seats, 22% of Vote
Podemos (Eurosceptic, Anti-Austerity Socialists): 69 seats, 20.5% of vote
Ciudadanos (Anti-corruption, nationalistic party): 28 seats, 14% of vote
