MADRID – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has called a much-anticipated general election for Dec. 20 that will showcase four parties vying for power.
Rajoy made the announcement Thursday night during an interview on Spain's Antena 3 television channel.
Polls suggest Rajoy's conservative Popular Party may win most seats but will likely lose the majority it secured in 2011.
The Socialist Party is the primary opposition but two newcomers have emerged this year as serious political forces among Spaniards fed up with austerity and official corruption.
They are the far-left Podemos (We Can) party and the centrist Ciudadanos (Citizens) party.
Ciudadanos became the second-most important party in northeastern Catalonia following a regional parliamentary election on Sunday.
Candidates backed by Podemos in May became the mayors of Madrid and Barcelona.
Fox News' "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.