Spain will undergo another round of regional elections on Sunday in 13 of its 17 autonomous areas.
The elections are for councillors of 8,116 local councils and for the enclaves of Ceuta (pictured) and Melilla.
Observers will be watching closely as these elections foreshadow the general election later this year.
The country appears to be moving away from its traditional two-party system. The ruling centre-right People’s Party (PP) and the leading opposition Socialist Party (PSOE) are being harried by newcomers, such as Podemos and Ciudadanos.
From the usual combined 75-80% of the vote, the main parties are polling now below 50%. In 2009, together they won 81% in European parliamentary elections, but by 2014 they achieved only 49%.
The influencing factors from 2009 to today include severe economic hardship, harsh austerity measures, and political scandals attaching to both main parties.
Changes in voter thinking appear to have fragmented the country, but the election results will show how popular the new political forces prove to be. Indications are that 30-45% of the electorate claim to be undecided.
Although the British elections showed how unreliable polls can be, the leftwing, anti-austerity Podemos party, founded just last year, is polling about 18.5%.
When the liberal Ciudadanos announced earlier this year that it would go nationwide from its origins in Catalonia, support jumped to more than 15% in most polls.
In nearby Andalusia, which has long favoured the Socialists, elections were held in March. The party prevailed again, but its 35% was its worst result ever in the region. The PP dropped dramatically from 41% to 27%.
Podemos won 15% and Ciudadanos achieved 9.5%.
This has left Socialist leader Susana Díaz unable so far to form a government.
