Spain heads for fourth election in four years as talks fail
- Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez calls for snap polls after failing to secure support from rival parties
- King Felipe VI earlier declared after meeting political leaders that there were no viable candidates to lead new government
Spain will hold a repeat general election in November – its fourth in four years – after acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez failed to secure the support he needs from other parties.
“Spain is bound to hold new elections on November 10,” Sanchez told a news conference late on Tuesday after King Felipe VI concluded there was no candidate with enough support to form a government.
Sanchez’s Socialists won an April general election but secured only 123 of the parliament’s 350 seats. That left him dependent on support from other parties in Spain’s deeply fragmented parliament to be confirmed premier for another term.
Sanchez had until next Monday to be confirmed by parliament or else fresh elections would be automatically called for November 10, but his talks with other parties to try to win their backing have been fruitless.
He said the result of the king’s consultations with party leaders “is clear. There is no majority in the assembly that could guarantee the formation of a government.”
After wrapping up two days of talks with party leaders on Tuesday, the king said in a statement that he would not put forward a new candidate to seek the confidence of parliament to become prime minister.