Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called a surprise snap election for 23 July, a day after his Socialists suffered a major setback in local and regional polls.
In a televised address, Mr Sanchez said he had informed King Felipe VI of his decision to dissolve parliament and "call a general election".
"I took the decision when looking at the results of the elections of yesterday," he said.
His Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and its junior ally Podemos lost ground during the regional elections held yesterday, while rival conservative People's Party and far-right party Vox outperformed.
Mr Sanchez said: "Although yesterday's elections had a local and regional scope, the meaning of the vote conveys a message that goes beyond that. That is why, as both prime minister and PSOE's secretary-general, I personally assume the results".
In a victory speech, head of the right-wing Popular Party (PP) Alberto Nunez Feijoo said: "We have won a clear victory and Spain has taken the first steps toward a new political era."
The election saw the PP chalk up the largest number of local votes, official figures showed.
It also scored significant gains at a regional level, seizing six regions that had been under Socialist control, Spain's public television station said.
But the PP will only be able to govern in those regions with the support of the far-right Vox, also a winner in yesterday's polls, which poses a major headache for Mr Feijoo.
Vox, the third-largest party in parliament, is hoping to become an indispensable partner for the PP, both at a regional level and, ultimately, nationally.
Aware that the key to winning the general election is conquering the centre, Mr Feijoo has sought to moderate the PP's line while also keeping Vox at a distance.
A right-wing "tsunami" has swept through "every region in Spain", said Javier Lamban, the Socialist leader of the northern Aragon region who lost his seat to the PP.
"We are facing an undeniable right-wing surge in Spain led by the PP and Vox," agreed Miguel Angel Revilla, who also lost his seat as head of Cantabria's regional government.
With almost all local ballots counted, the PP secured just over 7 million votes (31.52%), compared with nearly 6.3 million for the Socialists (28.11%).
Turnout was 63.89%, 1.3 percentage points lower than in the 2019 polls, official figures showed.
