Spanish election underway - live updates

Spaniards are voting on the fourth general election in just as many years. On Sunday, millions headed to the polls after a campaign focused mainly on Catalonia and how to handle the independence crisis. Party divisions on the matter are set to make the formation of a new government - and therefore political stability - just as hard as it was in the past.

Socialists win in Spain, Esquerra win in Catalonia

Election surveys suggest that Pedro Sánchez and the Socialists (114-119 expected seats won) will once again be the biggest political force in Spain, but once more fall short in a general election of ruling the country with a majority. 

The conservative People’s Party (85-90), led by Pablo Casado, seem set to win the second most seats in the Spanish congress, followed by the far-right Vox party (56-59), who ran a campaign with a tough anti-Catalonia stance.

For the Spanish election results in Catalonia, Esquerra Republicana (13-14) are again the biggest party in the country, with a slender lead ahead of the Socialists (12-13), according to surveys. 

Pro-independence Junts per Catalunya (6-7) and pro-referendum En Comú Podem (5-7), led by Laura Borràs and Jaume Asens respectively, are set to be the 3rd and 4th biggest Catalan representatives in the Spanish congress. Before final results come in, it seems the two parties are neck-and-neck.

Ciutadans (14-15) have fallen from being the third-largest party in Spain from April's election results to the fifth, losing between 42-43 seats. Meanwhile, far-left pro-independence party CUP look set to win 3-4 seats in their first ever Spanish election. 

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