A far-right party won seats in a Spanish regional parliament for the first time since the country returned to democracy following the death of Francisco Franco in 1975, results in Andalusia's election showed.
With more than 99 percent of the votes counted late Sunday, the small Vox party took 12 seats, handing a majority to right-wing parties in the southern Spanish region governed by the Socialists for more than three decades.
The result means that Vox, which opposes illegal immigration and Catalan independence, has exceeded even the most optimistic poll predictions which had forecast a possible five seat win.
"The Andalusians have made history... and got rid of 36 years of socialist rule," said Vox leader Santiago Abascal.
Supporters of Spain's far-right Vox party celebrate results after the Andalusian regional elections in Seville,December 2, 2018. /VCG Photo
The Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) scored the worst result in its history winning 33 seats.
Its potential ally on the left Adelante Andalusia (Forward Andalusia) picked up only 17 seats, depriving the left of a majority, while the conservative Popular Party (PP) won 26 seats and the Ciudadanos liberals took 21 seats.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen sent "warm congratulations" in a tweet to her "Vox friends."
The poll had been seen as the first of a series of tests for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Santiago Abascal (R), leader of Spain's far-right party Vox, poses for a selfie during a demonstration called by his party against Catalan separatists in Madrid, December 1, 2018. /VCG Photo
It was Sanchez's first electoral test since taking office in June after winning a surprise vote of no-confidence in parliament against the previous PP government of Mariano Rajoy over a corruption scandal.
His Socialists had ruled Andalusia since 1982.
The vote, however, is a mere foretaste of the coming "super election year": 2019 will see municipal, regional and European elections and perhaps even an early general election to coincide with the other May polls.
People attend a campaign meeting of Spain's far-right party Vox in Granada, November 26, 2018. /VCG Photo
All eyes will now be on Vox which can try to use Andalusia as a springboard in next year's elections.
If it did win a seat in the next general election, it would be the first time a far-right party had had a presence in Spain's lower house of parliament since 1982.
In all, 6.5 million were eligible to vote in the ballot in Andalusia, the country's most populous region and among its most impoverished districts.