The ruling conservative Popular party came first with 123 seats in Sunday’s election but fell far short of a 176 majority needed to govern alone and way below the 186 seats it won in 2011.
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Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias has said he would ask for major concessions from the Socialists before agreeing to any alliance.
It will be a long night, but exit polls leave all scenario wide open, as the combined PP-Ciudadanos coalition projected may not summon enough seats to form a government.
Spain entered uncharted political territory after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy lost his majority in an inconclusive election that saw voters shift allegiance to new groups at the expense of the two main parties.
Albert Rivera, leader of business-friendly Ciudadanos, which won 40 seats in parliament, came out in support of a PP minority government, which would negotiate with Ciudadanos, the Socialists and Podemos to support it in votes on different laws.
If forced out of government, prime minister Mariano Rajoy and his Popular Party will become the third European victims this year of a voter backlash against austerity, following elections in Greece and Portugal seen as ballot box rebellions against unpopular tax rises and spending cuts invoked during the eurozone’s debt crisis.
Rajoy’s remarks were echoed by Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, whose party had their worst ever election results.
“Spain wants the left, Spain wants change, but the PP has won the most votes”, he said.
On Sunday roughly half of Spain’s electorate voted for parties which rejected the austerity measures Mr. Rajoy put in place to halt the country from becoming insolvent.
The 43-year-old former university economics professor wasn’t known by most Spaniards until his election last year to lead the Socialists, who were ousted as the ruling party in 2011 as the nation endured a prolonged economic slump.
Spain is bracing Monday for weeks of political instability, following a general election that left a fragmented parliament with no clear options for coalition-building.
After the election results were announced, Rajoy confirmed he would still try to form an administration and said his party was “still the number one force”.
Luena said his party “will vote “no” to the PP”, though referring only to the first round, when Rajoy will need an absolute majority in the 350-seat parliament.
“The PP can’t form a majority with Ciudadanos, but nor can anyone else form a majority”.
“I am asking everyone to show responsibility, because the stability of Spain is at stake, progress in the economic recovery is at stake”, the PP’s Fernando Martinez-Maillo told Cadena Ser radio. The remainder of the seats are held by regional parties, who will be crucial to the process of building a coalition government. Since the current Spanish constitution was passed in 1979, the king has always nominated the candidate from the party with the most votes, who was then appointed PM by parliamentary vote.
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Should nobody be elected, parliament would be dissolved with a new election called within two months of the first vote.
