Party leaders vote in Spanish election

The leaders of Spain's political parties cast their votes on Sunday morning soon after the polls opened at 9 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) with long queues to vote but with "absolute normality."

The first leader to appear at the polls was Albert Rivera, leader of the center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens) party, who cast his vote at 10:09 in the Santa Maria de Llobregat college in Barcelona.

He was followed at 10:40 by United Left (IU) leader Alberto Garzon, who voted in the town of Rincon de la Victoria near the southern city of Malaga.

Rivera and Garzon were the only main party leaders to cast their votes outside of the capital of Madrid, with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy voting in the Bernadette College at 10:55 and UPyD's Andres Herzog at around 10:45.

"All we can hope for on a day like this is that as many people as possible exercise their right to vote," commented Rajoy as he cast his ballot.

Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez voted in the Voltunro Cultural center in Pozuelo, close to Rajoy, geographically if not politically just before half-past 11.

"It is a historic day... it smells as if change is in the air," said Sanchez to the press.

Podemos' Pablo Iglesias was due to cast his vote in the Tirso de Molina Institute in the modest Vallecas region where he lives.

Meanwhile the six inhabitants of the small village of Villarroya in the La Rioja region of northern Spain produced the first anecdote of the day as they voted within one minute of each other and were able to close the polling station at one minute past nine.

Spaniards are called to vote for 350 deputies in the Spanish Congress and 208 members in the Senate.

Details of the turnout will be given at 14:30 and 18:30 local time before the polls close at 8 p.m., with the first results expected to be announced two and a half hours later. Endit