- Conservatives and Socialists to Form Coalitions Independently
- Spain Faces Political Uncertainty Amid Inconclusive Election Results
- King Felipe VI Invites PP Leader to Attempt Forming a Government, Potential New Elections Looming
Spain has entered a period of political uncertainty that could lead to new elections within a few months.
Sunday’s special election produced no clear victor.
Even with the support of the ultra-right Vox party, the conservative People’s Party (PP) was unable to secure a majority in parliament.
Now, both the conservatives and the incumbent Socialists will attempt to form coalitions independently.
On Monday, PP leader Alberto Nez Feijóo and his rival, Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will commence negotiations to avert a new election, which could occur by the end of 2023.
As the leader of the party that received the most ballots, King Felipe VI will invite Mr. Feijóo to attempt to form a government. If Mr. Feijóo declines because he cannot garner sufficient support, similar to what former PP leader Mariano Rajoy did in 2015, the monarch may turn to Mr. Sánchez.
If the candidate accepts the invitation of the monarch, he has two months to secure a majority of votes.
In the alternative, new elections must be conducted.
Borja Sémper, a PP official, said Mr. Sánchez is the first person Mr. Feijóo will call to ask for his support in forming a “solo government with specific agreements” – a request the Socialist prime minister is unlikely to grant.
Mr. Feijóo told cheering conservative supporters that it was now his responsibility to attempt to establish a government despite the inconclusive election results.
“Spaniards are aware that we have surpassed the second-place party to become the party with the most votes,” he said, adding, “I hope this does not usher in a period of unrest in Spain.”
But this is the situation Spain faces. With the far-right party Vox holding 33 seats and Mr. Feijóo’s PP holding 136, they would be seven seats shy of a parliamentary majority of 176.
In light of these results, Mr. Sánchez’s Socialists and his far-left allies at Sumar appeared the proudest.
“The reactionary bloc of regression, which sought a complete rollback of all the gains we’ve made over the past four years, has failed,” he told his supporters.
El Espaol, a Spanish website, reported that despite the victory of the PP, Mr. Sánchez still had a chance to form a government.
However, to secure the support of separatists, one would need to go even further than before to increase these extremely slender chances.
Mr. Sanchez would require the backing of the radical, pro-independence Together for Catalonia (Junts) party. Carles Puigdemont, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Belgium since Catalonia’s failed independence campaign in 2017, stated earlier this month that the Junts would not support either the Socialists or the PP.
Jordi Turull, the party’s general secretary, appeared to imply on Monday that the party could use its new kingmaker status as a bargaining tool to advance Catalan independence.
While Mr. Sánchez has taken steps to normalize relations with separatists by pardoning imprisoned pro-independence leaders and reducing the severity of secession as a crime, he has stated repeatedly and unequivocally that he will not permit Catalonia to conduct a referendum on self-determination.
Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far-right Vox party, was one of the few leaders who did not celebrate after the results were announced, while Mr. Feijóo of the PP declared victory. Sunday night he stated, “Today is a day of concern.”
Iago Moreno, a political analyst, stated that the far right blamed the conservative PP for “complicity in the demonization of Vox” and viewed Sunday’s election result as the beginning of a journey to a “second round” that could take place before Christmas.
“We have not accomplished our goal of expelling Pedro Sanchez… “There will likely be another election where we can accomplish this,” said Mr. Abascal.
While the leader of the Socialist Party and Sumar put on a united front during a television debate last week, the leader of the conservative party, Mr. Feijóo, was conspicuously absent, giving the impression that Vox was alone.
However, Vox voters turned out in large numbers to support Mr. Abascal’s anti-immigration and anti-feminism platform. Many viewed him as their best hope for defending the traditional values of Spain.
On Sunday, voter participation exceeded 70%, as voters recognized the significance of this uncommon mid-summer election. This was partially due to the nearly 2.5 million ballots cast by mail, but polling stations were busiest in the early morning, before the intensity of the day.
Vox remains the third-largest party in Spain, with three million of the country’s 37 million voters, but is no longer considerably ahead of Sumar and has experienced a significant decline in seats.
El Espaol, a Spanish website, reported that despite the victory of the PP, Mr. Sánchez still had a chance to form a government.
However, to secure the support of separatists, one would need to go even further than before to increase these extremely slender chances.
Mr. Sanchez would require the backing of the radical, pro-independence Together for Catalonia (Junts) party. Carles Puigdemont, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Belgium since Catalonia’s failed independence campaign in 2017, stated earlier this month that the Junts would not support either the Socialists or the PP.
Jordi Turull, the party’s general secretary, appeared to imply on Monday that the party could use its new kingmaker status as a bargaining tool to advance Catalan independence.
While Mr. Sánchez has taken steps to normalize relations with separatists by pardoning imprisoned pro-independence leaders and reducing the severity of secession as a crime, he has stated repeatedly and unequivocally that he will not permit Catalonia to conduct a referendum on self-determination.
Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far-right Vox party, was one of the few leaders who did not celebrate after the results were announced, while Mr. Feijóo of the PP declared victory. Sunday night he stated, “Today is a day of concern.”
Iago Moreno, a political analyst, stated that the far right blamed the conservative PP for “complicity in the demonization of Vox” and viewed Sunday’s election result as the beginning of a journey to a “second round” that could take place before Christmas.
“We have not accomplished our goal of expelling Pedro Sanchez… “There will likely be another election where we can accomplish this,” said Mr. Abascal.
While the leader of the Socialist Party and Sumar put on a united front during a television debate last week, the leader of the conservative party, Mr. Feijóo, was conspicuously absent, giving the impression that Vox was alone.
However, Vox voters turned out in large numbers to support Mr. Abascal’s anti-immigration and anti-feminism platform. Many viewed him as their best hope for defending the traditional values of Spain.
On Sunday, voter participation exceeded 70%, as voters recognized the significance of this uncommon mid-summer election. This was partially due to the nearly 2.5 million ballots cast by mail, but polling stations were busiest in the early morning, before the intensity of the day.
Vox remains the third-largest party in Spain, with three million of the country’s 37 million voters, but is no longer considerably ahead of Sumar and has experienced a significant decline in seats.
