VOTE DAY: Polling stations open this Sunday for snap general election in Spain

VOTERS in Spain go to the polls this Sunday to cast their ballots for the snap general election.

The election was called at the start of March after the ruling left-leaning Partido Socialista (PSOE) effectively had its budget plans vetoed by pro-Catalan independence parties. That left Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez no choice but to go to the polls.

Campaigning is now reaching its pre-election climax, with party leaders having criss-crossed the country to try and win over undecided voters.

That will come to an end at midnight on Friday, after which Spanish law prohibits campaigning until voters go to the polls.

Polling stations open at 9am and close at 8pm. After they close their doors the provisional counting of results will begin.

The general counting of votes begins on Wednesday after ballot papers arrive from abroad. The deadline for the count to finish is Saturday May 4.

There is likely to be some indication of who win the election after the provisional votes are counted, but the official results will be declared no later than Monday May 13. The new members of the Congreso are then set to meet on Tuesday May 21.

With the results looking close, it is unclear how long it will take for parties to reach coalition deals.