Spain awaits election results that could take the country to the right

New Delhi: The majority of polls have closed in Spain's national election as the country's left-wing government faces a risk of being ousted by conservatives and the far-right.

Polls in Spain's mainland and the Balearic Islands closed at 6:00 p.m. GMT. Polls on the Canary Islands will remain open for one more hour due to the archipelago falling in a different time zone.

Once they close, the first results from Sunday's election are expected to come out.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S nchez is trying to win a third consecutive national election since taking power in 2018. But his Socialists and the other party in his leftist coalition took a beating in regional and local elections held in May.

The mainstream conservative Popular Party led most polling during the campaign and is hoping that its first national victory since 2016 could let candidate Alberto N ez Feij o unseat S nchez. But it may need the help of the far-right Vox party to do so.

The country's 37 million eligible voters were tasked with electing 350 members to the lower house of Parliament. Near-final results were expected by midnight. (AP)