Spain faces struggle to form govt

Conservatives score a win but short of a majority, challenged by newcomers

Spain faces a struggle to form a stable government on Monday following historic elections that saw the incumbent conservatives score a win but no majority, tailed by the long-established Socialists and upstart, far-left Podemos.

For more than 30 years, the Popular Party and Socialists had alternated power, but they now find themselves challenged by relative newbies Podemos and Ciudadanos, a centrist party that came fourth in Sunday's closely-fought legislative polls.