Spain votes as new forces seek 'historic' change

Spaniards voted Sunday in elections that could see the anti-austerity protest movement conquer city halls and transform Spanish politics. New left-wing and centrist movements are fighting to end the two-party system of the past four decades and drive the conservative Popular Party (PP) from local and regional government ahead of a general election. Surging in popularity after the "Indignados" anti-austerity protests that erupted in 2011, they have pledged to fight corruption and heal a country stricken by unemployment and spending cuts. "This is the first time we have felt hopeful when coming out to vote," said Eva Quintas, 32, after casting her ballot in central Madrid for the left-wing protest party Podemos and the local group it is backing, Ahora Madrid. Podemos, a close ally of Greece's radical Syriza party, aims to overtake the mainstream left to become the main opposition force in the eurozone's fourth-biggest economy. The economically liberal Ciudadanos party meanwhile is luring voters from right and left, promising more moderate, market-friendly reforms. Its leader Albert Rivera has described Sunday's vote as "historic". "Spain is living through a moment of political change," Rivera told supporters after voting in Barcelona. "Power is in the hands of the citizens, so I ask Spaniards to come out and take part." In the city hall elections, numerous grassroots groups opposed to the government's austerity measures are running with Podemos's backing. They are polling strongly in the two biggest cities, Madrid -- a PP stronghold -- and Barcelona. Polls had pointed to a high turnout, though the government said that at 2:00 pm it was just under 35 percent, one point lower than at the same time in the last such elections in 2011. Polling stations were due to close at 1800 GMT. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said around noon that voting was going ahead without incident and he hoped it would continue with "total normality". - 'Indignada' mayor? - Voters were choosing leaders in more than 8,000 city halls and 13 of the 17 regional governments which control health and education budgets. More than 35 million people were registered to vote. Podemos and Ciudadanos have surged over the past year to occupy third and fourth place respectively in opinion polls, behind the Popular Party and the main opposition Socialists. Polls have consistently shown the PP losing support. But they also show some 30 percent of voters as undecided. "Today the Spanish people become the leaders of change. That doesn't happen very often in history," Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said after voting in the working-class district of Vallecas in Madrid. "Tonight the change begins in our town halls and regions, and it also begins in Spain." Barcelona, a major tourist destination, could get the first "Indignada" mayor of a major city: Ada Colau, a prominent anti-austerity campaigner. "It is good for new people to get in, but they are very inexperienced and idealistic," said Juli Montero, 54, referring to Colau's party, after voting Socialist in Barcelona. Another voter there, Jordi Martinez, 36, said however that Colau's "lack of experience could be a good thing, a breath of fresh air in politics". Sunday's vote is an important warm-up for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy as he fights to hold onto office in a general election due around November. He says ejecting the PP from office could disrupt Spain's economic recovery. Economic growth is gradually improving, but the unemployment rate still stood at more than 23 percent at the last count and anti-austerity campaigners say the recovery is not benefitting the poorest. Analysts say a Podemos surge could undermine foreign investors' confidence in Spain's financial stability, like Syriza's rise to power in Greece. But Ciudadanos could act as an "important power broker" to keep Spain's economic reforms on track, said analyst Christian Schulz of German bank Berenberg.