MADRID: Spaniards are voting in a general election on Sunday (today), just six months after a last unsuccessful attempt to pick a new government.

The unprecedented repeat election comes after political parties that won seats in parliament last December were unable to decide on which of them should take power.

A look at what is happening politically in Spain.

Why is another vote needed? After four years in power, the conservative Popular Party collected most votes in last December’s ballot but didn’t elect enough lawmakers to give it a majority in parliament, like it had before. Mariano Rajoy, the party’s leader and incumbent prime minister, couldn’t get enough support from rival parties to form either a minority government or a coalition. The negotiations between parties dragged on for months as Pedro Sanchez, leader of the second-placed socialists, also failed to clinch a deal that would let him govern. Unlike other European nations, Spain has never had a coalition government.

What’s driving the Spanish campaign? Europe is still bearing the scars of its recent financial crisis. In Spain, that means 20 per cent unemployment and reduced government spending on national health care and public education. On top of that, political corruption has angered many Spaniards. Spain emerged from recession in late 2013 and is now one of the European Union’s fastest growing economies. But there’s not much trickle-down effect yet, and the jobless rate remains the second-highest in the EU after Greece. The Popular Party has also been engulfed by corruption scandals in recent years, with jailed party treasurer Luis Barcenas telling investigators about a scheme of illegal contributions and donations to the party. The socialists are fighting smaller scandals of their own, involving allegations that former party members ran a fraud scheme by siphoning off public funds.

What could happen with the vote? Opinion polls suggest the new ballot won’t break Spain’s political stalemate. The polls indicate the Popular Party will again capture most votes but will still fall short of a parliamentary majority, returning Spain to limbo as the parties renew their negotiations. One new factor could make a difference: the far-left Unidos Podemos alliance, which partners Podemos and the much smaller United Left party. Polls suggest Unidos Podemos could secure second place, overtaking the centre-left socialists, with the centrist, business-friendly Ciudadanos in fourth place. The socialists and Unidos Podemos could potentially create a broad left-of-centre coalition. Analysts are not expecting a high turnout, due to Spaniards’ disillusionment with squabbling politicians. After the election, King Felipe VI will begin talks with Spain’s political leaders, searching for a candidate to form a government.

Key numbers of the election: Four — the main candidates standing in the election. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, 61, of the conservative Popular Party (PP) faces three younger challengers, the same ones as in the December election: Socialist Pedro Sanchez, 44, 37-year-old Pablo Iglesias of far-left coalition Unidos Podemos and Albert Rivera, 36, of market-friendly Ciudadanos.

176 — the number of seats needed to form an absolute majority in Spain’s 350-seat lower house of parliament. Polls indicate no party will win an absolute majority on its own.

131 — the number of lawmakers who voted on March 4 in favour of Sanchez’s attempt to form a centre-left coalition government following the December polls. The remaining 219 lawmakers voted against.

189 — the number of days between the two elections.

11 — the number of groupings that make up far-left coalition Unidos Podemos. The main parties are anti-austerity Podemos, an ally of Greece’s ruling Syriza, and Izquierda Unida, the heirs of Spain’s Communist party. The two parties stood separately in the last election.

47 — the number of seats up for grabs in Spain’s wealthy north-eastern region of Catalonia, where a pro-independence movement has gathered pace.

5 — the number of times Spaniards have been called to the polls since 2014. They voted in European Parliament elections in May 2014, regional elections in 15 of Spain’s 17 semi-autonomous regions in 2015, municipal elections in May 2015 and general elections in December — to be repeated on Sunday.

73.2 — the voter turnout in the December election. Polls indicate the turnout could drop to between 64.6 per cent and 72 per cent this time round.

36,518,100 — the number of eligible voters in Sunday’s election — 7,148 more than in December.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2016