DHAKA: Spain's ruling Popular Party won the most votes in Sunday's national election but was short of a majority in parliament to run government, according to results.

Negotiations to form a coalition government could likely take weeks, reports the usatoday.com

With 99.6% of the vote counted, the conservative Popular Party of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy won only 123 seats in the 350-member lower house of Parliament, far below the 186 majority it now holds, the Associated Press reported.

The main opposition Socialist Party received 90 seats, while Podemos, a new far-left party, and allies got 69 seats, and centrist Ciudadanos, another upstart party, won 40.

“Spain is not going to be the same anymore and we are very happy,” said Pablo Iglesias, the pony-tailed leader of Podemos.

The results were historically poor showings for the two established parties — Popular and Socialist — that have alternated running the government for decades.

The election appeared to be ushering in a new era of politics for a system that had remained largely unchanged since evolving from a monarchy to a democracy in the 1970s.

Spain faces political uncertainty after two new movements won nearly a third of the seats in the country's election.

BDST: 1100 HRS, DEC 21, 2015
RS