(CNN) Voters in Spain are voting in a general election on Sunday, and the country appears at a crossroads. As in several other European countries, a far-right party is gaining in popularity and traditional politics is fragmenting, while Spain has specific domestic issues, such as the Catalan independence movement.

"There's a general sense that these elections are very important, that they're going to determine the political destiny of Spain for many years," said Andrew Dowling, a historian at Cardiff University.

For years Spain was governed by the center-right People's Party (PP), currently led by Pablo Casado, or the center-left Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), headed up by incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Spain is the only country in western Europe that has never been governed by a coalition government, though recent years have seen minority governments shored up by parliamentary alliances.

A number of new political parties have also emerged, shaking up the two-party established order. They include the left-wing Unidos Podemos (UP), led by Pablo Iglesias, which sprang up in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, as well as the center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens) party of Albert Rivera and, more recently, the far-right Vox party of Santiago Abascal.

Polls ahead of Sunday's elections indicated that these five parties may each gain more than 10% of the vote, resulting in a hung parliament and a coalition government, according to Ignacio Molina, senior analyst at the Real Instituto Elcano think tank in Madrid. There is increasing discussion about a " Frankenstein government," one made up of a number of parties that may not be politically aligned.

A PP campaign poster

The Catalan question

Experts agree that the issue of Catalan independence casts a long shadow over this election and influences many areas of current political debate. For Angel Smith, a historian of modern Spain at the University of Leeds, Catalonia's bid for secession has sparked a resurgence in Spanish nationalism and a "defensive radicalism" on the right.

"Historically Spain has faced a lot of challenges from independence movements," Smith told CNN. "There is this fear on the right that Spain could break up."

That history is complex, resulting in a policy of decentralization for 17 autonomous regions of which six have their own official languages alongside Spanish, and leading to worries over the unity of the nation that was one of the driving forces behind right-wing dictator General Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain from 1939-75.

While the financial crisis and corruption scandals at PP were responsible for the formation of Podemos and Ciudadanos, the Catalan issue has been key in the growth of Vox. Smith believes that Vox has capitalized on a perceived threat to national integrity. "The right has been able to mobilize round the idea that 'they're trying to break up our great nation,'" he said.

Each country where the far-right is making ground has its own trigger issue, said Molina, such as the 2015 refugee crisis in Germany. "The Catalan question has broken the party political system, especially on the right," said Molina.

Far-right party Vox has gained ground under leader Santiago Abascal

'Crisis of representation'

While the Catalan question is specific to Spain, the growth of Vox is part of a wider process of disaffection with traditional parties in Europe, said José Torreblanca, senior analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations in Madrid

"It's got a lot to do with the crisis of representation affecting all of the Western democracies," he said, emphasizing that the growth of Vox is mirrored in the shifting political landscape in other European countries such as Italy, France and the UK.

"Voters are drifting and angry. They aren't finding answers in the traditional parties and so they are looking for options that represent their frustrations, their anger, their expectations," Torreblanca said.

In Spain, the debate over Catalan independence is a rallying point for wider concerns over migration, rights legislation, and the idea that conservative values and traditions are being lost. This plays well in culturally conservative parts of the country, said Smith, as a widening gap in attitudes between cities and small towns adds to a sense of polarization.

While the Socialist party has won urban votes thanks to progressive reforms on women's and LGBT rights, the pace of change has also led to a backlash in other places. "There are some voters who truly believe that it has gone too far," said Molina, with political battles focusing more on social policies than economics.

One example is Vox's opposition to recent domestic violence legislation, which the party believes to be encouraging feminist " supremacy ."

These views have also been spread unmonitored on Facebook, according to an investigation by campaign group Avaaz which uncovered several networks spreading "divisive," "false" and "misleading" content reaching almost 1.7 million followers. Only on April 23, just five days before the election, did Facebook take action to remove these pages, adding to concerns over social media companies' capability to remove sensitive content.

For Peter Ceretti, Spain analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, the country has seen the gradual emergence of multiple competing outlooks. "Ultimately the party system is going to reflect people's views and I think the fact is that we're seeing the culmination of a process whereby there is a pluralization of opinion in Spanish society," he said, adding that this has placed pressure on political institutions that favor a two-party system.

Political deadlock?

Similar processes are taking place in both Spain and the UK, according to Molina, as new political parties form in response to new demands from the electorate. While both nations have traditionally been easy to govern, the political situation has become far more unstable due to the Catalan question and Brexit.

"It's very difficult for countries that are used to this rotation and bipartisanship to change to a system where there are lots of parties and you have to make coalitions," he said. "Our political culture is not like that, it's about confrontation and majorities rather than consensus and coalition."

According to Ceretti, this lack of experience in building coalitions will combine with a split vote and a lack of incentive to compromise ahead of local and European Parliament elections in May. Another factor to consider is the possibility of a verdict in the trial of Catalan separatist leaders, which could have far-reaching ramifications due to the importance of the independence question.

"Against this backdrop it's going to be very hard to form a government," said Ceretti, who believes Spain may face a long period of political gridlock that could result in another general election later this year.</s>Unveiled as a world premiere during this year Geneva Motor Show, the new generation Peugeot 208 is now ready to be ordered on the UK market. Not only the conventional model, but also the electric version of the car.

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Customers can choose from a range of charging methods for the all-new e-208, including 100 kW rapid charging, capable of achieving an 80% charge in as little as 30 minutes.</s>A divided Spain voted Sunday in its third general election in four years, with all eyes on whether a far-right party will enter Parliament for the first time in decades and potentially help unseat the Socialist government.

The incumbent prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is set to win the most votes, but his Socialists seem far from scoring a majority in parliament to form a government on their own.

The fragmentation of the political landscape is the result of austerity that followed a recession, disenchantment with bipartisan politics and the recent rise of far-right populism.

READ MORE: Spain ousts Rajoy as PM, turns to Socialist leader Sanchez

Sánchez called Sunday’s ballot after a national budget proposal was rejected in the Lower Chamber by the center-right-conservative opposition and Catalan separatists pressing for self-determination in their northeastern region.

Polls a week ago found that about one third of the nearly 37 million eligible voters hadn’t decided how they would vote. Their decision, and the expected high turnout, could swing the result between the left and right wing blocs that have taken shape during the electoral race.

The anti-austerity Unidas Podemos (United We Can) party, has offered to enter a coalition with the Socialists, but they might need to rely on smaller parties, including the Catalan separatists.

WATCH: Far-right party wins seats in Andalusia, a first in Spain (Dec. 2018)

On the splintered right, three parties are competing for leadership: the once-dominant conservative Popular Party (PP), the center-right Citizens, and the nationalist and anti-migrant Vox party, which looks set to enter the lower house of Parliament for the first time. Its arrival would mark a big shift in Spain, where the far right has not played a significant role since the country’s transition to democracy following the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975.

Voting stations opened at 9 a.m. (0700GMT) Sunday and will close at 8 p.m. (1800GMT), with results expected a few hours later.

Speaking Sunday shortly after casting his ballot, Sánchez said he wanted the ballot to yield a parliamentary majority that can undertake social and political reforms in the country.

The prime minister said he wanted the lower house to support “a stable government that with calmness, serenity and resolution looks to the future and achieves the progress that our country needs in social justice, national harmony and political cleansing.”

READ MORE: Spain to support Brexit agreement after reaching deal with U.K. over Gibraltar

Citizens and PP have focused their campaigns on unseating Sánchez, hinting at repeating the coalition government that with the help of Vox’s parliamentary backing ousted the Socialists from more than three decades in power in the southern Andalusia region earlier this year.

Citizens’ Albert Rivera said that a high turnout was needed Sunday to “usher in a new era.”

Pablo Casado, who recently took over leadership of the conservative PP and has steered it to the right in an effort to stop the draining of votes to Vox, called the ballot the country’s “most decisive” in recent years.

WATCH: Trudeau confident Spain can resolve Catalonia crisis, while respecting ‘freedom of expression’ (Sept. 2018)

United We Can party leader Pablo Iglesias also stressed the importance of voting on Sunday.

“My feeling is that in Spain there is an ample progressive majority, and when there is high participation that becomes very clear,” Iglesias said.

Vox leader Santiago Abascal, who has been drawing the largest crowds during campaigning, told reporters in Madrid that “millions of Spaniards are going to vote with hope, they are going to do it without fear for anything or anybody.”

At the Palacio Valdes public school in central Madrid, voter Alicia Sánchez worried that the nationalist party could influence policy-making if they score a significant power grab on Sunday.

READ MORE: Catalan separatists on trial for rebellion in Spain amid protests

“I’ve always come to vote, but this time it feels special. I’m worried about how Vox can influence policies on women and other issues. They are clearly homophobic. Reading their program is like something from 50 years ago,” said the 38-year old administrative worker.

Having voted in all elections since Spain returned to democratic rule four decades ago, Amelia Gómez and Antonio Román, she 86 and he 90, said they had little faith in any candidate.

“All I want is for whoever wins to take care of the old people,” Gómez said, complaining that the two of them together receive less than 1,000 euros (1,100 euros) a month in state pensions.

The vote will decide the 350 members of the Congress of Deputies, who then choose a government, and also 208 senators for the Upper House.

For the first time since Spain transitioned to democracy in the 1970s, more than 100,000 people with mental disabilities are allowed to vote in the general election.
Spaniards go to the polls to elect all 350 members of the Congress of Deputies and 208 (of 266) seats in the Senate.