Government
Election in Spain without a clear winner – repetition possible
PP lead candidate Alberto Núñez Feijóo addresses his supporters in front of the party headquarters after the parliamentary elections. photo
© Manu Fernandez/AP
After the election in Spain there is no clear winner. The conservatives fail with an alliance with the right-wing populists. And the Socialists only have a mathematical majority in sight.
Things don’t look much better on the left: the previous socialist head of government, Pedro Sánchez, would theoretically have a majority with the help of several smaller parties – but in fact it is very unlikely that there will be a new coalition government. There is already speculation about a new election.
Sánchez (51) would also need the support of Catalan separatist party Junts led by former regional leader Carles Puigdemont, which is considered unlikely. A grand coalition between the PP and PSOE is ruled out because of the strong polarization between the two camps. The fourth largest economy in the EU, which will hold the Council Presidency until the end of the year, is likely to face a long stalemate – and possibly another election.
Election winners with slim prospects
Despite poor prospects, PP top candidate Alberto Núñez Feijóo (61) claimed the post of head of government for himself on election night. “I take on the task of starting negotiations to form a government,” he said to the cheers of thousands of supporters in Madrid. Although the PP improved by 47 seats to 136 seats, the majority of 176 seats is a long way off. Even the 33 seats of the right-wing party Vox are not enough: there are seven mandates missing in parliament for the planned right-wing alliance.
Socialist Prime Minister Sánchez once again proved to be a political survivor. His PSOE gained two seats after the left’s severe defeat in regional and local elections in May, which prompted him to call the elections forward. In the future, it will be represented in Parliament with 122 MPs. “The block of regression from PP and Vox failed,” Sanchez said with some relief. “We, who want to bring Spain forward, are much more.”
The Vox party, which lost 19 seats, made it clear on election night that their support for Feijóo comes at a price. You will not “give away” votes, said Vox Secretary General Ignacio Garriga. Party leader Santiago Abascal blamed Feijóo for the right-wing’s poor performance because the conservatives had courted support from the left-wing camp.
On Sunday, parts of the Senate were re-elected in addition to the lower house “Congreso de los Diputados”. In Spain, however, the upper house plays no role in forming a government. The parliamentary elections were actually only planned for the end of the year. However, Sánchez brought it forward after the debacle of the left-wing parties in the May 28 regional elections.