Roundup: Spain on eve of vital general election with result again uncertain

Spaniards will return to the polls for the second time in just six months on Sunday.

The previous election on December 20 last year was special as it was the first one since the rise of the new parties, Podemos and Ciudadanos and the results of that vote led to a hung parliament and a political stalemate in which none of the major parties were able to reach an agreement to form a viable coalition government, and then led to the calling of a new election.

If opinion polls are to believed, the situation has changed little in six months, although the decision taken by left wing parties Podemos and the United Left to form an electoral pact 'Unidos Podemos' could see them overtake the Socialist Party (PSOE) as the second political force in Spain.

The election will be held just three days after Britain voted to leave the European Union. It remains to be seen if the decision in Britain will have any effect on Spanish voters.

Although no polls can be carried out in the last week of the Spanish campaign, some political commentators believed the uncertainty about the future of the EU could lead to Spanish voters being more cautious with their votes, thus favoring established parties such as the PSOE and the ruling People's Party (PP).

The PP, led by acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, are predicted to remain as the major force in Spain, but to once again fall well short of the 176 seats needed for an absolute majority in the 350-seat Congress.

The PP have been rocked by further corruption scandals over the past six months, while the last week of the campaign also saw recordings leaked which show acting Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz apparently conspiring with anti-fraud officials to incriminate political rivals.

But the party relies on a core of support which guarantees them a minimum of around 28 percent of the vote. That guaranteed backing will give Rajoy an advantage if participation is down on six months ago.

For that reason, other party leaders made appeals on the last day of campaigning before Saturday's day of reflection, calling on their supporters to get to the ballot box.

Unidos Podemos' Pablo Iglesias insisted his party was within "touching distance" of winning, while PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez and Ciudadanos' Albert Rivera both presented their parties as the center ground against the "irresponsible right and populism" of the PP and Podemos.

The result is very hard to call and much may depend on just how many Spaniards actually will go out and cast their votes. Endit