Spain votes again on Sunday, six months after an inconclusive election which saw parties unable to agree on a coalition government.

Here are the key numbers of the election:

4 -- the main candidates standing in the election. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, 61, of the conservative Popular Party (PP) faces three younger challengers, the same ones as in the December election: Socialist Pedro Sanchez, 44, 37-year-old Pablo Iglesias of far-left coalition Unidos Podemos and Albert Rivera, 36, of market-friendly Ciudadanos.

176 -- the number of seats needed to form an absolute majority in Spain&#39;s 350-seat lower house of parliament. Polls indicate no party will win an absolute majority on its own.

Most suggest the PP and its natural ally centre-right Ciudadanos will not win an absolute majority even if they form a coalition, nor will the two leftist parties -- the Socialists and Unidos Podemos.

131 -- the number of lawmakers who voted on March 4 in favour of Sanchez&#39;s attempt to form a centre-left coalition government following the December polls. The remaining 219 lawmakers voted against.

189 -- the number of days between the two elections. During this time Rajoy&#39;s government remained in power in a caretaker capacity with limited powers and could not approve projects that involve new spending. Spain is far from the example set by Belgium which went 541 days without a fully functioning government following the 2010 election -- a European record.

11 -- the number of groupings that make up far-left coalition Unidos Podemos. The main parties are anti-austerity Podemos, an ally of Greece&#39;s ruling Syriza, and Izquierda Unida, the heirs of Spain&#39;s Communist party. The two parties stood separately in the last election.

47 -- the number of seats up for grabs in Spain&#39;s wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia, where a pro-independence movement has gathered pace.

After December polls, 17 elected separatist lawmakers from this region contributed to Spain&#39;s political stalemate by demanding an independence referendum in exchange for their support for a new government -- a demand rejected by three of the four main parties.

5 -- the number of times Spaniards have been called to the polls since 2014. They voted in European Parliament elections in May 2014, regional elections in 15 of Spain&#39;s 17 semi-autonomous regions in 2015, municipal elections in May 2015 and general elections in December -- to be repeated on Sunday.

22.7 -- the percentage of votes lost by the PP and Socialists between polls in 2011 and 2015, as upstarts Podemos and Ciudadanos leapt onto the scene and gnawed away at their support base, putting an end to the country&#39;s two-party dominance.

73.2 -- the voter turnout in the December election. Polls indicate the turnout could drop to between 64.6 per cent and 72 per cent this time round.

36,518,100 -- the number of eligible voters in Sunday&#39;s election -- 7,148 more than in December. 
 
(AFP)

Voters go back to the polls six months after parties were unable to agree on a coalition goverment

Spain votes again on Sunday, six months after an inconclusive election which saw parties unable to agree on a coalition government. Here are the key numbers of the election: 4 -- the main candidates standing in the election. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, 61, of the conservative Popular Party (PP) faces three younger challengers, the same ones as in the December election: Socialist Pedro Sanchez, 44, 37-year-old Pablo Iglesias of far-left coalition Unidos Podemos and Albert Rivera, 36, of market-friendly Ciudadanos. 176 -- the number of seats needed to form an absolute majority in Spain's 350-seat lower house of parliament. Polls indicate no party will win an absolute majority on its own. Most suggest the PP and its natural ally centre-right Ciudadanos will not win an absolute majority even if they form a coalition, nor will the two leftist parties -- the Socialists and Unidos Podemos. 131 -- the number of lawmakers who voted on March 4 in favour of Sanchez's attempt to form a centre-left coalition government following the December polls. The remaining 219 lawmakers voted against. 189 -- the number of days between the two elections. During this time Rajoy's government remained in power in a caretaker capacity with limited powers and could not approve projects that involve new spending. Spain is far from the example set by Belgium which went 541 days without a fully functioning government following the 2010 election -- a European record. 11 -- the number of groupings that make up far-left coalition Unidos Podemos. The main parties are anti-austerity Podemos, an ally of Greece's ruling Syriza, and Izquierda Unida, the heirs of Spain's Communist party. The two parties stood separately in the last election. 47 -- the number of seats up for grabs in Spain's wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia, where a pro-independence movement has gathered pace. After December polls, 17 elected separatist lawmakers from this region contributed to Spain's political stalemate by demanding an independence referendum in exchange for their support for a new government -- a demand rejected by three of the four main parties. 5 -- the number of times Spaniards have been called to the polls since 2014. They voted in European Parliament elections in May 2014, regional elections in 15 of Spain's 17 semi-autonomous regions in 2015, municipal elections in May 2015 and general elections in December -- to be repeated on Sunday. 22.7 -- the percentage of votes lost by the PP and Socialists between polls in 2011 and 2015, as upstarts Podemos and Ciudadanos leapt onto the scene and gnawed away at their support base, putting an end to the country's two-party dominance. 73.2 -- the voter turnout in the December election. Polls indicate the turnout could drop to between 64.6 per cent and 72 per cent this time round. 36,518,100 -- the number of eligible voters in Sunday's election -- 7,148 more than in December. (AFP)

Key facts about Spain's Sunday election

Oil rallied on Monday, lifted by a wave of investor confidence and a weaker dollar after polls showed a diminishing chance that Britain may vote to leave the European Union later this week. 
 
August Brent crude futures were up 90 cents at $50.07 a barrel by 0843 GMT, set for a gain of 6 per cent in two trading days. New York Mercantile Exchange crude for July delivery, which expires on Tuesday, was up 80 cents at $48.78 a barrel. 
 
Campaigning for Britain&#39;s vote on EU membership resumed on Sunday after a three-day hiatus prompted by the killing of a pro-EU lawmaker. 
 
Three opinion polls ahead of Thursday&#39;s vote showed the &#39;Remain&#39; camp recovering some momentum, although the overall picture remained one of an evenly split electorate. 
 
Perceived safe havens such as gold, the US dollar, German bonds and the Swiss franc came under pressure, while oil looked set for its largest two-day rise in a month and the likes of copper and equities rallied. 
 
&quot;For oil as a risky asset, what we&#39;ve seen are intraday gyrations that are coming from the spillover effects of &#39;risk-on/risk-off&#39; moves that follow the poll numbers,&quot; BNP Paribas global head of commodity strategy Harry Tchilinguirian said. 
 
The pound climbed 1.6 per cent to $1.4589, extending a recovery from last Thursday&#39;s more than two-month trough of $1.4013. 
 
&quot;With Brexit dominating the market headlines, there might be moves in the US dollar that drive the oil market at least until we get that out of the way,&quot; said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s likely to be a nervous and skittish week&#39;s trading.&quot; 
 
Oil prices continued to recover despite data showing US energy firms adding oil rigs for a third week in a row, suggesting higher production to come. 
 
Oil services firm Baker Hughes reported nine rig additions in the week to June 17. 
 
Aside from Brexit concerns, the market is likely to be caught in a range as any gains would likely be limited by the return of more shale drillers in the United States, McCarthy said. 
 
&quot;Capping market gains at the moment is the potential for those very agile US producers to jump back into production should we see any further substantial rises,&quot; he said.

August Brent crude futures were up 90 cents at $50.07 a barrel

Oil rallied on Monday, lifted by a wave of investor confidence and a weaker dollar after polls showed a diminishing chance that Britain may vote to leave the European Union later this week. August Brent crude futures were up 90 cents at $50.07 a barrel by 0843 GMT, set for a gain of 6 per cent in two trading days. New York Mercantile Exchange crude for July delivery, which expires on Tuesday, was up 80 cents at $48.78 a barrel. Campaigning for Britain's vote on EU membership resumed on Sunday after a three-day hiatus prompted by the killing of a pro-EU lawmaker. Three opinion polls ahead of Thursday's vote showed the 'Remain' camp recovering some momentum, although the overall picture remained one of an evenly split electorate. Perceived safe havens such as gold, the US dollar, German bonds and the Swiss franc came under pressure, while oil looked set for its largest two-day rise in a month and the likes of copper and equities rallied. "For oil as a risky asset, what we've seen are intraday gyrations that are coming from the spillover effects of 'risk-on/risk-off' moves that follow the poll numbers," BNP Paribas global head of commodity strategy Harry Tchilinguirian said. The pound climbed 1.6 per cent to $1.4589, extending a recovery from last Thursday's more than two-month trough of $1.4013. "With Brexit dominating the market headlines, there might be moves in the US dollar that drive the oil market at least until we get that out of the way," said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney. "It's likely to be a nervous and skittish week's trading." Oil prices continued to recover despite data showing US energy firms adding oil rigs for a third week in a row, suggesting higher production to come. Oil services firm Baker Hughes reported nine rig additions in the week to June 17. Aside from Brexit concerns, the market is likely to be caught in a range as any gains would likely be limited by the return of more shale drillers in the United States, McCarthy said. "Capping market gains at the moment is the potential for those very agile US producers to jump back into production should we see any further substantial rises," he said.

Oil rallies as polls show diminished chance that Britain will vote to leave the EU

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