Spaniards are voting today in their third general election in less than four years, and with a political outlook that is more fractured than ever. There are 36.8 million eligible voters, and the outcome will largely hinge on how many political abstainers decide to go vote on a clear a sunny day when the weather is no excuse to stay home.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, of the Socialist Party, called the vote after failing to garner support in Congress for his 2019 budget plan. Polls predict he will win today, but he is likely to fall short of a majority. All eyes will be on newcomer Vox, a far-right group that garnered surprise support at the Andalusian regional elections, and has been stealing voters from the conservative Popular Party.

The election is marked by the rise of the far-right movement Vox, which opposes multiculturalism and has threatened to end self-rule for regions like Catalonia.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has presented himself as a bulwark against the advance of the hard right.

Polls suggest his party will lead the vote but no single group will win an overall majority.

The final opinion poll in El País newspaper on Monday put the Socialists (PSOE) at about 30%, the conservative People's Party (PP) at around 20%, the centre-right Ciudadanos and left-leaning Podemos both near 14% and the far right Vox party at about 11%.

However, the poll also showed that up to four in 10 voters had yet to make up their minds.