Nick Funnell With 99.86% of votes counted: The PP has won the Spanish general election with 123 seats, the PSOE is second with 90, Podemos is third with 69 and Ciudadanos fourth with 40. The Catalan Republican Left obtains 9 deputies while Democràcia i Llibertat gets 8. 21/12/2015 01:01

Nick Funnell El País Editor-In-Chief Antonio Caño on the complex scenario that has emerged from this general election: "Spain will be governable, but the solution for the governance of Spain is not obvious." 21/12/2015 00:30

Nick Funnell Mariano Rajoy jumps up and down in celebration on the balcony of Popular Party headquarters in Madrid. His party has won the Spanish general election with 123 seats, 63 fewer than in 2011 https://twitter.com/el_pais/status/678714347737055233?ref_src=twsrc^tfw 21/12/2015 00:22

Nick Funnell Rajoy: "Whoever wins the election has to try to form a government and I am going to try to do so because Spain needs a stable government" 21/12/2015 00:14

Nick Funnell The leader of the winning Popular Party, Mariano Rajoy, is now speaking: "We have won the elections again. Solid bases have been laid down for the future, with more than 1.6 million votes and 30 seats’ difference over the second-biggest force." 21/12/2015 00:11

Nick Funnell "It all starts today," concludes Ciudadanos’ Albert Rivera, whose party has won 40 seats 21/12/2015 00:04

Nick Funnell Ciudadanos’ Rivera: "40 men and women [his deputies] are going to think about Spain. Only us, with just one project and not at any price, are going to be decisive in forming majorities that govern in this country." 21/12/2015 00:04

Nick Funnell Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera also speaks of a "new political era" starting in Spain as he addresses supporters. "Millions of Spaniards have decided that Spain is going to change. We are going to take part in political change." 20/12/2015 23:53

Nick Funnell PSOE chief Sánchez concedes victory to the Popular Party but says the election result has opened "a new political phase in Spain that leaves behind imposition and opens a process of dialogue and agreement." 20/12/2015 23:49

Nick Funnell Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez has thanked the more than five million Spaniards who voted for his party against "the attempt to make the PSOE disappear." 20/12/2015 23:44

Nick Funnell "We are the fifth-biggest force in terms of number of votes, even though we have been punished by the electoral system" - United Left leader Alberto Garzón, whose party has won two seats 20/12/2015 23:39

Nick Funnell Latest: The Popular Party has won the Spanish general election but is far from the majority it needs to form a government 20/12/2015 23:32

Simon Hunter Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias: "Spain has put an end to the revolving door political system and is beginning a new era. We are the first political force in terms of votes in Catalonia and in the Basque Country, and the second in Madrid and Valencia" 20/12/2015 23:13

Simon Hunter Podemos candidate Rita Mosaho celebrates the election results. You can read about the woman who will be Spain"s first black Congress member here http://cort.as/aG-4 Photo: Pepe Olivaresjavascript:void(0); 20/12/2015 23:11

Simon Hunter Pablo Iglesias first leader to come out and address the media. "Spain has voted for a change of system." 20/12/2015 23:09

Simon Hunter EL PAÍS bosses in the conference room, debating tomorrow"s print edition 20/12/2015 23:06

Nick Funnell The scene outside Popular Party headquarters in Madrid. Photo: Samuel Sánchez 20/12/2015 23:00

Simon Hunter "Deputy PM Sáenz de Santa María: "The PP has won these general elections." That"s true but from here on, complete uncertainty’ writes EL PAÍS journalist Carlos Yárnoz on Twitter 20/12/2015 22:53

Nick Funnell Ciudadanos leaders confirm they will not vote in favor of electing either the Popular Party"s Mariano Rajoy or Socialist chief Pedro Sánchez as prime minister https://twitter.com/JuanJoseMateo/status/678692017791229952?ref_src=twsrc^tfw 20/12/2015 22:49

Simon Hunter EL PAÍS webpage hits a million visits tonight! Photo by Cristóbal Manuel 20/12/2015 22:49

Simon Hunter Voter turnout in today"s #SpanishElections at 73%, four points higher than in 2011 20/12/2015 22:40

Susana Urra LATEST: With 88.43% counted: #PartidoPopular 121 seats #PSOE 93 #Podemos 42 #Ciudadanos 39 20/12/2015 22:37

Susana Urra “There was a bubble created around Ciudadanos,” says Julio Cesar Herrero, a political researcher at Alcalá University. 20/12/2015 22:32

Nick Funnell Silence at Socialist Party HQ in Madrid. The official @ psoe Twitter account is the only one of the main parties’ feeds yet to publish a statement following the closing of voting 20/12/2015 22:26

Simon Hunter LATEST: With 76.68% counted: #PartidoPopular 123 seats #PSOE 93 #Podemos 68 #Ciudadanos 37 20/12/2015 22:13

Susana Urra Iñigo Errejón of Podemos at a press conference after early results confirmed the anti-austerity party"s excellent results. 20/12/2015 22:09

Simon Hunter Veteran Spanish journalist Iñaki Gabilondo: "Change is here. We are going to go from playing the piano with one finger to doing it with 10. We are not going to find out today who will govern" 20/12/2015 22:09

Simon Hunter María José Canel, professor in political communication from the Complutense University in Madrid: "Today Spain stopped voting according to traditions." 20/12/2015 21:58

Simon Hunter "With 50% counted, the PP and the left have won. While some don"t like to believe it, that"s democracy" Spanish novelist Benjamin Prado 20/12/2015 21:52

Nick Funnell With 52.04% of votes counted, the PP is winning with 124 seats; the PSOE is second with 96; Podemos is third with 70 and Ciudadanos fourth with 31 20/12/2015 21:49

Nick Funnell United Left prime ministerial candidate Alberto Garzón analyzes the results coming in at his party’s headquarters. Photo: Carlos Rosillo 20/12/2015 21:37

Nick Funnell With 31% of votes counted: PP, 125 seats; PSOE, 96; Podemos, 63; Ciudadanos, 31. 20/12/2015 21:30

Susana Urra According to this early count, the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) secures nine seats in the Spanish Congress, the same number as Catalan premier Artur Mas’ new group, Democracia y Llibertat. 20/12/2015 21:15

Susana Urra With 7.12% of votes counted, the PP wins the elections. The first official figures show Rajoy’s party winning 119 seats, followed by the Socialists with 98. Podemos gets 38 seats, but its sister groups get another 23 seats. Ciudadanos is running fourth with 26 deputies. 20/12/2015 21:14

Simon Hunter Long faces among Ciudadanos supporters at the Eurobuilding Hotel in Madrid. Photo: Claudio Álvarez 20/12/2015 21:05

Nick Funnell The scene outside Popular Party headquarters in Madrid. Photo: Gorka Lejarcegi 20/12/2015 21:02

Nick Funnell Xavier Domènech, the top candidate for the Podemos-backed En Comú Podem bloc in Catalonia, follows the vote count at the Norte de Barcelona polling station. Exit polls say his group will be the winner in the region with 12 to 13 seats. Photo: Albert Garcia 20/12/2015 21:00

Nick Funnell In the Basque Country, Podemos is predicted to be the biggest force with 5 to 6 seats, followed by the Basque Nationalist Party (4-5), Bildu (3-4), PSOE (1-2) and the PP (1-2), according to the Forta exit poll 20/12/2015 20:52

Simon Hunter If exit polls confirmed, Socialists are facing worst election result in their history 20/12/2015 20:44

Nick Funnell Popular Party spokesman Pablo Casado: "The PP will be the winner if the results of the polls are confirmed." Nevertheless, the exit polls give the ruling conservative party its worst result since 1989 20/12/2015 20:43

Nick Funnell Regional TV station Telemadrid’s exit poll reflects a Popular Party win in Madrid with Podemos close behind: PP 11-13; Podemos 9-10; Ciudadanos 6-7; PSOE 6-7; IU 2. 20/12/2015 20:37

Simon Hunter How ironic - Albert Rivera gets stuck in a revolving door on election night... http://cort.as/aOLu 20/12/2015 20:33

Simon Hunter The vote count is underway. This polling station in San Sebastián has been counting ballots for the last few minutes already. Photo: JAVIER HERNÁNDEZ 20/12/2015 20:29

Simon Hunter Ciudadanos chief Albert Rivera and his team await results in the Hotel Eurobuilding in Madrid. If exit polls are correct, the emerging party will be massively disappointed with tonight"s result. Photo: Claudio Álvarez 20/12/2015 20:27

Nick Funnell Acting premier Artur Mas's Democracy & Liberty party is predicted to plummet and Podemos to triumph in Catalonia, says TV3 exit poll: Podemos-backed bloc En Comú Podem 12-13, Catalan Republican Left 9-11, Catalan Socialists 7-8, Ciudadanos 7-8, Democracy & Liberty 6-7 and PP 5-6 20/12/2015 20:22

Nick Funnell TV station Antena 3’s exit poll: PP 121-124; Ciudadanos 46-50; PSOE 79-83 and Podemos 70-74. Popular Unity-United Left 2-4 seats. 20/12/2015 20:10

Nick Funnell Pedro Sánchez arrives at Socialist Party headquarters in Madrid. Photo: Uly Martín 20/12/2015 20:07

Simon Hunter FIRST TVE EXIT POLL #SpanishElections PP 114-118 PSOE 81-85 Ciudadanos 47-50 Podemos 76-80 20/12/2015 20:04

Simon Hunter Fresh faces of Spanish politics: Pedro Sánchez, Alberto Garzón and Albert Rivera chat before appearing on Cadena SER radio station. Photo: Kike Para 20/12/2015 19:57

Simon Hunter Behind the scenes shot at EL PAÍS offices, where a live five-hour TV election special is taking place https://twitter.com/Chiqui/status/678648939499884544 20/12/2015 19:56

Simon Hunter EL PAÍS director of news Miguel Jiménez raises the possibility that Spain may have to hold new elections if there is no clear winner tonight. Live TV show (in Spanish) on elpais.com right now 20/12/2015 19:51

Simon Hunter Full report of the election day so far: Participation was 58.36% on a day with no major incidents but plenty of anecdotes at some of the 57,511 polling stations http://cort.as/aOHR 20/12/2015 19:47

Nick Funnell Cadena SER radio presenter Pepa Bueno with the prime ministerial candidates: (left to right) Alberto Garzón of United Left, Pedro Sánchez of the Socialist Party, Pablo Iglesias of Podemos and Albert Rivera of Ciudadanos. Photo: Kike Para 20/12/2015 19:29

Nick Funnell The speaker in the Catalan regional parliament, Carme Forcadell of the pro-independence Junts pel Sí coalition, has called on those who have not yet voted to head out and cast their ballots, "so that nobody decides for us." 20/12/2015 19:25

Simon Hunter Four of the five prime ministerial candidates are currently being interviewed together on Cadena SER radio station right now (PSOE, Ciudadanos, IU & Podemos, no one there from PP). Nicer atmosphere than during pre-election debates! 20/12/2015 19:16

Nick Funnell The scene in the EL PAÍS newsroom tonight https://twitter.com/Pablo_Lion/status/678638887577743362/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc^tfw 20/12/2015 19:15

Nick Funnell Turnout in the Basque Country stood at 59.01% at 6pm, almost three points higher than at the previous 2011 general election (56,08%). Photo: JAVIER HERNÁNDEZ 20/12/2015 19:13

Nick Funnell Podemos’s number two official Íñigo Errejón makes an appearance at the Goya Theater in Madrid. Photo: Bernardo Pérez 20/12/2015 19:09

Simon Hunter EL PAÍS five-hour TV special getting started on elpais.com right now (Spanish only, sorry!). Polls close at 8pm Spanish time, with exit polls expected soon after. Early results from 10.30pm onward 20/12/2015 19:03

Nick Funnell Seville: "I hope there will not be an absolute majority because that is healthy for the country," says Manuel Rodríguez after voting in the Andalusian capital. "What there can’t be is a party that is free to do as it wants. Who watches the watchman?" #ELPAIS20D 20/12/2015 19:00

Nick Funnell A nun arrives to vote in Barcelona’s Sarria neighborhood https://twitter.com/alfcongostrina/status/678516380891815936?ref_src=twsrc^tfw 20/12/2015 18:52

Nick Funnell Turnout in Andalusia stood at 55.96% at 6pm, 1.7 points below that at the previous election in 2011 and a few points below the national average of 58,3%. #ELPAIS20D 20/12/2015 18:39

Simon Hunter In photos: Voters wait in line to cast ballots in #SpanishElections http://cort.as/aOBM 20/12/2015 18:38

Nick Funnell Over in the Valencia region, turnout at 6pm is slightly above that of four years ago – 63.4% compared with 62.7% in 2011 20/12/2015 18:35

Nick Funnell In the Madrid region, voter participation at 6pm is two points higher than it was in 2011 and also five points above the national average of 58.3% 20/12/2015 18:33

Nick Funnell At 6pm, voter participation in Catalonia had risen to 56.57%, 3.36% more than at the previous election in 2011, according to Interior Ministry figures 20/12/2015 18:29

Nick Funnell Turnout at 6pm stood at 58.29%, half a percentage point above that in 2011 https://twitter.com/el_pais/status/678625240268804097?ref_src=twsrc^tfw 20/12/2015 18:24

Nick Funnell The world’s media has begun setting up outside Spanish Congress in Madrid in order to report on the night’s events https://twitter.com/aitorbengoam/status/678619354120912896?ref_src=twsrc^tfw 20/12/2015 18:19

Nick Funnell A drunk man has been arrested after shouting at officials at a polling place in the Madrid satellite town of Getafe #ELPAIS20D 20/12/2015 18:11

Nick Funnell Opposition leader in the Catalan regional parliament, Inés Arrimadas of Ciudadanos, casts her vote https://twitter.com/alfcongostrina/status/678534531792654336?ref_src=twsrc^tfw 20/12/2015 17:59

Nick Funnell Elisa, 20, is voting for the first time in Valencia, the constituency with the highest turnout so far (44,35% at 2pm). "This election is different because there are two new parties. The two-party system is not going to continue as it has until now". 20/12/2015 17:50

Nick Funnell Amaia Zalakain, who is visually impaired, casts her vote in San Sebastián with the help of an accessible voting system. Photo: EFE 20/12/2015 17:39

Simon Hunter Manuel Castillo polling station in Seville registers 63% participation (1,603 of 2,539 voters), reports Javier Martín-Arroyo. Official figure in Andalusia at 2pm was just 35% 20/12/2015 17:19

Simon Hunter A man from La Coruña with a hearing disability officiates at a polling table in Rois. To the left of the image, his sign-language interpreter. EFE 20/12/2015 17:12

Simon Hunter Polling stations across Spain getting busier again after the lunchtime lull 20/12/2015 17:08

Simon Hunter "We are voting thinking about Catalonia." Acting Catalan premier Artur Mas calls on people to choose their vote taking into account the "decisive moment in which Catalonia finds itself," reports Laia Reventós 20/12/2015 16:50

Simon Hunter Fantastic work as usual by EL PAÍS"s team of photographers. This gem from Gorka Lejarcegi 20/12/2015 16:32

Simon Hunter Turnout figures at 2pm by region (point difference on 2011 in brackets): Catalonia, 35.36% (=); Valencia, 43.12% (=); Extremadura, 35.62% (-4); Galicia, 33.31% (=); Madrid, 40.18% (=); Murcia, 38.39% (-4); Navarre, 39.07% (=); Basque Country 39.21% (+1); La Rioja, 40.65% (-1) 20/12/2015 16:18

Simon Hunter Four hours until the polls close: At 6.30pm we"ll have the latest turnout figures, at 7pm EL PAÍS will begin a five-hour TV broadcast (just in Spanish, unfortunately!), first exit polls at 8pm, and at 10.30pm provisional results will start coming in 20/12/2015 16:08

Simon Hunter Doubts reportedly being raised by ministry sources over reliability of turnout figures for today"s polls, which at 2pm suggested slightly lower participation than 2011 elections 20/12/2015 16:05

Simon Hunter Woman aged around 60 arrested in San Blas, Madrid after insulting officials at a polling station who would not let her vote with a photocopied ID card. 20/12/2015 15:57

Simon Hunter Even stormtroopers are taking time out from their work with the Galactic Empire to cast their votes in Spain today https://twitter.com/GorkaLejarcegi/status/678578341914525700 20/12/2015 15:24

Simon Hunter The four main candidates in today"s election all agree on one thing: they want everyone to come out and vote today 20/12/2015 15:06

Simon Hunter Madrid has seen more voters than 2011 so far today, Canaries, Catalonia and Valencia fewer. Participation in Extremadura, a current bastion of the two-party system, is down four points 20/12/2015 14:52

Simon Hunter Secretary of state for communication, Carmen Martínez Castro, announces that voter participation is currently at 37%, similar to level seen at this point in 2011 elections. 20/12/2015 14:42

Simon Hunter Participation at 2.30pm in 99% of voting booths is down just under a percentage point compared to 2011 polls, according to the Interior Ministry website 20/12/2015 14:40

Simon Hunter Slightly suspect pens being handed out at some polling booths in Spain today... https://twitter.com/nestorvillamor/status/678565241203109888 20/12/2015 14:37

Simon Hunter Here is a photo from earlier of BCN Mayor Ada Colau searching for her ID card, which, it turned out, she had left at home. Photo: Quique García, EFE 20/12/2015 14:32

Simon Hunter Long lines of voters at polling stations in Valencia, reports Joaquín Ferrandis. Most people arriving now are hoping to cast their ballot before lunchtime. Photo: Mònica Torres 20/12/2015 14:30

Simon Hunter "I"m angry. Very angry because these are the second elections where I haven"t been able to vote because of the failures of the post office. I live in New York, I requested the vote through the internet and by the 16th it still hadn"t arrived." Frustrated voter Cristina Colmena 20/12/2015 14:06

Simon Hunter This is the scene in Vallbona, Nour Barris (BCN), reports Clara Blanchar, as a senior comes out to vote in slippers and dressing gown 20/12/2015 13:56

Simon Hunter After retrieving her identity card from her house, here is Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau casting her vote 20/12/2015 13:49

Simon Hunter The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, managed to forget her identity card when she went to vote this morning, reports Antía García. The former anti-evictions activist has headed home for the missing document, essential to cast your ballot in Spain 20/12/2015 13:48

Simon Hunter Pablo Iglesias casts his vote in Vallecas, Madrid. Could Spain get its first pony-tailed PM today? 20/12/2015 13:27

Simon Hunter Long lines of voters at the Crisóbal de Morales music conservatory, in the center of Seville. #ELPAIS20D 20/12/2015 13:26

Simon Hunter "We are living through a second transition," Pablo Iglesias (Podemos) tells reporters after voting in Vallecas, in reference to Spain"s return to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco 20/12/2015 13:11

Simon Hunter First controversy of the day: Interior Ministry distributes image of Rajoy voting next to one of ex-PM Adolfo Suárez. Spanish law bans any kind of campaigning during election day https://twitter.com/interiorgob/status/678532422926000128 20/12/2015 13:07

Simon Hunter Pablo Iglesias casts his vote amidst dozens of journalists in Vallecas https://twitter.com/sararosati/status/678542242634670080 20/12/2015 12:56

Simon Hunter More pictures of nuns voting!! 20/12/2015 12:43

Simon Hunter The much-awaited arrival of Pablo Iglesias (Podemos) at a polling station in the Madrid neighborhood of Vallecas https://twitter.com/ahorapodemos/status/678539220609277956 20/12/2015 12:41

Simon Hunter Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría casts her vote in Madrid. Photo: EFE, Mariscal 20/12/2015 12:26

Simon Hunter Seniors from an old people"s home come out to vote with the help of two members of staff in Seville 20/12/2015 12:24

Simon Hunter Media scrum awaiting arrival of Podemos candidate Pablo Iglesias https://twitter.com/FotografiaPais/status/678530646004887552 20/12/2015 12:18

Simon Hunter "Turnout is very high," says María José Blanco, Podemos representative at a voting station in Seville. "Seniors come out to vote now and young people usually wait until after lunch." There are seven voting tables here, some with lines already, reports Javier Martín-Arroyo 20/12/2015 12:12

Simon Hunter The son of the mayor of Valencia, Joan Ribó, has flown to Spain today from Scotland to be able to vote, reports Joaquín Ferrandis. Ribó has cited his son"s case as typical of the problems that young Spaniards living abroad have had to register to vote in today"s polls 20/12/2015 11:45

Simon Hunter The Popular Party's spokesperson in Madrid City Council, Esperanza Aguirre, casts her vote on Sunday morning. Photo: Carlos Rosillo 20/12/2015 11:43

Simon Hunter In case you missed it, here"s our "guiri"s guide" to the 2015 elections in Spain http://cort.as/aDVo 20/12/2015 11:31

Simon Hunter Socialist candidate Pedro Sánchez arrives at a polling station in Madrid satellite town Pozuelo to cast his vote https://twitter.com/Alvaro1984/status/678519218929815552 20/12/2015 11:18

Simon Hunter Mariano Rajoy poses for photos after voting, obviously undeterred to mingle with the public despite being punched in the face last week by a man in the street https://twitter.com/aitorbengoam/status/678513522213527552 20/12/2015 10:56

Simon Hunter No doubt given the date of the elections, the number of requests accepted for postal votes at the 2015 polls is around 100,000 more than in 2011 20/12/2015 10:55

Simon Hunter One of the most-anticipated sights of today: Prime Minister and PP candidate for reelection Mariano Rajoy casts his vote in the Spanish capital https://twitter.com/aitorbengoam/status/678511051198058496 20/12/2015 10:51

Simon Hunter Voter in L"Hospitalet recognizes Rivera behind her at the urn https://twitter.com/alfcongostrina/status/678510467116081152 20/12/2015 10:43

Simon Hunter Media scrum around Rivera as he goes to vote. Cries of "Albert, handsome!" and "Fascist!" from the public https://twitter.com/alfcongostrina/status/678504041232654336 20/12/2015 10:27

Simon Hunter Just a few days ahead of Christmas, it"s a rare sight in Barcelona, reports Clara Blanchar, with both stores and polling booths open for the day 20/12/2015 10:25

Simon Hunter Ciudadanos chief Albert Rivera is the first of the candidates for prime minister to cast his vote https://twitter.com/alfcongostrina/status/678501473542676480 20/12/2015 10:22

Simon Hunter Madrid Mayor Manuela Carmena is up bright and early in Madrid to cast her vote (Photo: Luis Sevillano) 20/12/2015 10:20