Counting underway in local elections across Catalonia

Counting in Catalonia's local elections got underway at 8 pm, with results expected within a matter of hours. 

Turnout was slow during the day, standing at 44.54% at 6 pm, down 6.47 percentage points compared to 2019, which coincided with European election results.

An exit poll from Catalan and Spanish public broadcasters suggests a narrow victory for incumbent mayor Ada Colau in Barcelona, ahead of the Socialists' candidate Jaume Collboni and former mayor Xavier Trias.

Neck and neck in Barcelona

With 89.96% of votes counted in Barcelona at 10.18 pm, Trias per Barcelona led on 11 council seats, ahead of the Socialists (10) and Colau's BComú (9), in an extremely tight three-horse race.

Esquerra were on 5 seats, followed by the People's Party (4) and Vox (2).

Vox breakthrough, Socialists surging

Far-right Vox are set to enter local government in Barcelona for the first time, as well as in other councils around Catalonia, including Lleida in the west and Tarragona in the south.

The Socialists look set to have a good night, especially in the metropolitan area and other urban centers.

LIVE UPDATES