Polls Spain opened at 07:00 GMT in potentially close-run general elections marked by ideological differences and the prospect of the first right-wing party in government since Francisco Franco’s dictatorship ended in the 1970s.

Iran PressEurope: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez from the Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) will go head to head with the right-wing People’s Party leader, Alberto Nunez Feijoo.

As Spain battles a sweltering heatwave, its postal service reported on Friday that postal votes had already passed a record 2.4 million.

Voters will determine if the country will become the latest one in Europe to take a swing to the hard right or if it will slip into a state of paralysis with a caretaker government for the foreseeable future.

The vote is, by far, the most consequential to be held in Spain in recent memory. For the first time since the death of dictator Francisco Franco, the election could lead to a Spanish government with far-right ministers. That eventuality could signal a wider sea-change in Europe ahead of next year’s European Parliament election and give fuel to right-wing forces that want the EU to take more hardline stances on everything from climate policy to migration.

But in practical terms, this election may also stand out for being the most chaotic in the country’s history.

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