Parliament in Spain has been dissolved and 20 November has been set as the date for an early general election. Opinion polls predict the ruling party will lose by a wide margin.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero Zapatero met King Juan Carlos on Monday, as the monarch observed the protocol of approving the calling of elections.
Mr Zapatero brought forward the date of the election in July, from spring 2012 to 20 November, citing economic reasons.
The campaign itself officially begins on 4 November but Deutsche Welle Radio reports campaigning is effectively underway.
The Socialist Party is expected to lose. Mr Zapatero, who came into power in 2004, is not standing for re-election.
His successor, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, has to overhaul a substantial gap in the polls caused in great part by the economy's difficulties.
However, Deutsche Welle reports Mr Rubalcaba enjoys a strong personal approval rating among Spaniards. His rival, Mariano Rajoy of the conservative Popular Party, is far less popular and lost both the 2004 and 2008 elections.
Spain has been battered in recent months by the kind of market speculation that led to Greece, Ireland and Portugal requesting bailouts from the European Union.
Lack of growth, a high deficit and Europe's highest jobless rate, more than 20%, are among the problems.
