Spaniards are voting today in a crucial election overshadowed by the specter of the far right

 Voting continues in Spain today, Sunday, in the early general elections in which about 37 million people cast their ballots to choose members of parliament, and the political climate is clouded by ideological differences, the specter of the far right, and the anger of the population at having to vote during the summer recess.

These elections are considered a referendum on the performance of the left-wing government coalition, after more than 3 years of assuming power.

Voting begins at 9 am and ends at 8 pm, and voter polls will be announced after leaving the polling stations.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called early elections after the left suffered a defeat in local elections last May, but many are angry that they were called to vote at the height of the hot summer.

And Spain's postal service reported last Friday that voting by mail has already surpassed a record 2.4 million votes, with many people choosing to cast their ballots while on the beaches or in the mountains, rather than voting in their hotter cities of origin.

Agence France-Presse indicates that the weightings tend to favor the right, despite the Prime Minister's assertion that the Socialists can bridge the differences.

During an election rally in the southern suburbs of Madrid, Sanchez stressed that "We will win this election, and we will win it resoundingly."

However, recent opinion polls show that the elections - which many candidates described as a vote on the future of Spain - will likely achieve a victory for the "People's Party" (center-right) led by Alberto Núñez Viejo, but to form the government he will need a partnership with the far-right "Vox" party, and that means the arrival of a far-right party to power in Spain for the first time since 1975.

Fijo told El Mundo newspaper last Friday that he felt "the winds of change" blowing in the country.

While most polls showed that the "Popular Party" and "Fox" could win a majority in Parliament - consisting of 350 seats - some suggested that they would not be able to do so, which would pave the way for the return of the socialists to power.

Source: Agencies