24 Jul, 2023 @ 01:02
1 min read

SPAIN ELECTION: Right wing suffers blow as socialists cling on with no outright winner

Alberto Nuñez Feijoo and the rest of the Popular Party leaders go out on the balcony of Genova Street to celebrate their victory in the general elections. Madrid July 24, 2023 Alberto Nuñez Feijoo y el resto de dirigentes del Partido Popular salen al balcon de la calle Genova a celebrar su victoria en las elecciones generales. Madrid 24 de Julio de 2023 797/David/Cordon Press

SPAIN faces weeks or even months of political uncertainty as the general election results appear too close to call with 99% of votes counted.

Predictions of the conservative Partido Popular (PP) getting most votes were correct, with them winning 136 seats, but the far right Vox party, much touted to become the king makers in a new conservative government, suffered a crash in the polls.

Alberto Nuñez Feijoo leader of the conservative PP celebrates victory – but can he form a government? Photo: David/Cordon Press

With votes counted, they have 33 seats, compared to the 52 seats they were defending, a near 20% fall, possibly showing Spanish voters are disillusioned with extremist policies at a national level.

The new left wing Sumar movement  – expected to side with the PSOE in attempts to form a – socialist government gained 31 seats.

The end result is that neither of the main political blocs have enough seats to form a government.

A PP-Vox coalition would have 169 seats, 10 short of the 176 needed for a parliamentary majority.

On the other hand, PSOE and Sumar can only gather 153 seats, way short of a majority in the 350 seat parliament.

This means that the many regional parties who have gained the remaining seats have the balance of power.

Many of these have already said they will not work in a coalition with Vox.

In order to form a government much negotiation with these parties is in store. These negotiations will take place in the weeks to come.

If no agreement can not be reached, then another general election will have to be called – as it was in 2019 when negotiations failed initially. The PSOE eventually took office with the agreement of regional parties.

Dilip Kuner

Dilip Kuner is a NCTJ-trained journalist whose first job was on the Folkestone Herald as a trainee in 1988.
He worked up the ladder to be chief reporter and sub editor on the Hastings Observer and later news editor on the Bridlington Free Press.
At the time of the first Gulf War he started working for the Sunday Mirror, covering news stories as diverse as Mick Jagger’s wedding to Jerry Hall (a scoop gleaned at the bar at Heathrow Airport) to massive rent rises at the ‘feudal village’ of Princess Diana’s childhood home of Althorp Park.
In 1994 he decided to move to Spain with his girlfriend (now wife) and brought up three children here.
He initially worked in restaurants with his father, before rejoining the media world in 2013, working in the local press before becoming a copywriter for international firms including Accenture, as well as within a well-known local marketing agency.
He joined the Olive Press as a self-employed journalist during the pandemic lock-down, becoming news editor a few months later.
Since then he has overseen the news desk and production of all six print editions of the Olive Press and had stories published in UK national newspapers and appeared on Sky News.

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