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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (L) shakes hands with an electoral worker after casting his ballot at a polling station in Madrid, Spain, April 28, 2019. Spain's polling stations opened on Sunday at 09:00 local time (0700 GTM) for the country's third general election in four years. Close to 37 million voters are called to cast their votes in over 23,000 polling stations located in thousands of municipalities across Spain. (Xinhua/Guo Qiuda)

MADRID, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Spain's polling stations opened on Sunday at 09:00 local time (0700 GTM) for the country's third general election in four years.

Close to 37 million voters are called to cast their votes in over 23,000 polling stations located in thousands of municipalities across Spain.

Voters will elect their representatives in the Cortes Generales, or the Spanish parliament, which is made up by the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.

According to the polls, the Socialist Party led by ruling Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez would be likely to lead the vote, but it is not expected to obtain an overall majority, or 176 seats, to form a government.

Sanchez would need the support of other parties, such as Podemos, the Basque and Catalan separatists, in order to be sworn into office.

Meanwhile, polls do not predict a majority of seats for the right-wing People's Party, Ciudadanos, and the extreme right-wing Vox, but there is still a percentage of undecided voters that could change the result.

Polling stations will close at 20:00 local time (1800 GTM) and provisional results will be revealed shortly after 22:30.