Spain holds landmark general election

Spain is voting in a landmark election today, that will see more than two parties compete for power for the first time in decades.

The ruling Popular Party (PP), helmed by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, is being challenged by the Socialists and newcomers anti-austerity party Podemos, as well as liberal party, Citizens.

Opinion polls have suggested PM Mariano Rajoy's PP is narrowly ahead, according to international reports.

Since Rajoy came to power, Spain has emerged from a financial crisis into a period of economic growth and the conservative PP currently has a majority in Spain's lower house of parliament.

Rajoy's administration adopted unpopular austerity measures and job reforms that have been credited with returning the Spanish economy to growth, but unemployment rates have maintained at 21%, the second-highest rate in the EU after Greece, although it has fallen from its 2013 peak of 27%.

The Citizens and Podemos parties are fielding national candidates for the first time, and the BBC adds they both look set to take a take a large portion of the votes, ending the power monopoly of Spain's traditional heavyweights.

Polling stations opened at 09:00 and close at 19:00 with exit polls expected minutes later and complete results due two days later.

The economy, corruption allegations and a separatist drive in the prosperous north-eastern region of Catalonia have been the dominant issues in the election.

The central government in Madrid had to contend with an attempt by Catalonia to gain independence from Span, with pro-independence parties in Catalonia winning an absolute majority in regional elections in September and passing a motion to begin the process of declaring independence a month later.