Voters head to the polls in Spain

VOTING is underway in municipal elections  across Andalucia today.

There are also regional and municipal elections across much of Spain that could challenge the grip of the country’s two main parties.

Today’s vote is seen as an important barometer of opinion ahead of national elections later this year.

There are more than 35m people are registered to vote.

Casting his vote, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy urged all Spaniards to vote for “whoever they see fit”.

A series of corruption scandals have damaged the reputations of both the conservative Popular Party (PP) and the leading opposition, the socialists (PSOE) party.

The vote could open the door for newer parties such as  Ciudadanos and the anti-austerity party Podemos.

Podemos – meaning “We can” – came third in Andalucia’s regional election in March.