LOW TURNOUT?: Heat keeps voters away in Spain’s general election, but postal votes surge

AS the polling stations close (8pm) it looks like voter turnout has dipped to below 2019 levels as Spaniards had to brave the heat.

By 6pm  turnout stood at 53.12% compared to the 56.85% seen at the same stage in the previous general election, according to the Interior Ministry.

But this figure should be boosted by postal votes which are not included in the percentage given. This year around 2.47 million people have elected to vote by post, a record number as many Spaniards are on holiday.

The Balearic islands, Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia, Extremadura and the Canary islands bucked the trend with a rise in turnout, while all other regions, particularly Catalunya, Madrid and the Basque Country have seen a decline.

Some 22,562 polling stations opened at 9a, with many being equipped with fans and cold water for hardy voters who braved the high heats.

Sitting PM Pedro Sanchez (PSOE) voted at 9.10am at the Nuestra Señora del Buen Consejo school in Madrid. The conservative Partido Popular (PP) opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, cast his vote at 11.30 am at the Ramiro de Maeztu school, also in Madrid.

Preliminary results are expected to be in by around midnight.