STORY: Spanish voters go to polls for general elections
DATELINE: July 23, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:41
LOCATION: Madrid
CATEGORY: POLITICS
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of people voting at polling stations
2. various of Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez voting at poll station
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): PEDRO SANCHEZ, Prime Minister of Spain
4. various of Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez at poll station
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): PEDRO SANCHEZ, Prime Minister of Spain
6. various of people voting at polling stations
 
STORYLINE:
 
Voters are going to the polls in Spain on Sunday for a snap general election, and 37.4 million Spaniards have the right to vote.
 
The snap election was called by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party's (PSOE) disappointing display in the local and regional elections held at the end of May.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): PEDRO SANCHEZ, Prime Minister of Spain
"Thanks to all those who are going to make it possible for Spain to show the world and show ourselves what we are a flawless democracy."
 
Polls opened at 09:00 local time and will remain open until 20:00 local time.
 
The latest opinion polls gave a slim margin of victory to the right-wing People's Party (PP) which could possibly form a coalition government with the far-right Vox party.
 
Sanchez cast his vote in Madrid, less than 10 minutes after the polls opened and made a call for "all I can do is ask the biggest possible mobilization of voters, to give Spain a strong government that can continue to advance."
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): PEDRO SANCHEZ, Prime Minister of Spain
"It is a very important moment for our country and logically also for our democracy, and I can only thank all those of you who make our democracy flawless."
 
The election is also special as it is the first to be held in the middle of the summer holiday season, and this has led to over 2.6 million people requesting a postal vote, with post offices working seven days a week and staying open until 22:00 in order to process the requests.
 
Meanwhile, the hot weather predicted for Sunday with temperatures expected to reach 36 degrees Celsius in Madrid, has seen leaders appeal for voters to vote early to avoid the worst of the heat.
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Madrid.
(XHTV)