What happened in the Spanish election? Everything you need to know as conservatives fail to secure majority after country went to the polls
What happened in the Spanish elections? Everything you need to know if Conservatives fail to win a majority after the country goes to the polls
- Everything you need to know about what happened in the last elections in Spain
The result of Spain’s latest snap elections has left the country in political limbo after no party managed to secure an absolute majority.
The unclear result came after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s controversial decision to call a ballot.
But what exactly happened in the Spanish elections? What happens after the surprising results?
Read on below for everything you need to know about the Spanish election result and what it means for Spain to move forward.
The Spanish Prime Minister celebrates with supporters after the results of the general election
What happened in the Spanish elections?
The conservative People’s Party (PP) won, but failed to secure the required number of votes for an absolute majority.
Surveys of Spain’s 37 million voters predicted a takeover by the right-wing People’s Party and far-right party Vox.
However, the right-wing bloc performed below expectations, prompting Mr. Sánchez to declare: ‘The reactionary bloc has failed.’
Despite the PP garnering 136 seats in addition to Vox’s 33, the bloc fell seven seats short of the overall 176-seat majority needed to form a new government.
After suffering defeats in local and regional elections, Mr Sánchez called national elections in May, which were held this weekend as major cities endured scorching temperatures of up to 40 degrees.
Many voters told Spanish media they voted early to avoid the scorching heat, while electric fans were installed in polling stations to keep people cool.
Despite high growth and low unemployment, Mr Sánchez has been a polarizing figure in Spanish politics, having faced criticism following the introduction of abortion and transgender rights reforms.
What happens after the election results in Spain?
With no clear winner emerging from the election results, Spain is now facing a period of political uncertainty.
The unclear result means another election could be held before the end of the year.
Conservative Popular Party leader and candidate Alberto Nunez Feijoo waves as he addresses his supporters from a balcony of the PP headquarters in Madrid after Spain’s general election
Despite coming out of the election with the highest number of votes, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has distanced himself from Vox.
Vox has emerged as a more right-wing alternative to the People’s Party, the former a strong opponent of separatist movements across the country that have divided its citizens for decades.
Despite considering Spain’s first far-right government since the end of General Franco’s fascist rule in the mid-1970s as a real possibility, the PP-Vox coalition failed to secure enough seats for an overall majority on this occasion.
The divided results have led the Catalan separatist Junts (Together) party to emerge as Mr Sánchez’s potential kingmaker.
However, Junts may be asking for a referendum on independence for northeastern Catalonia, a price Mr Sánchez would likely find too risky to pay.
Repelling the threat from the PP and Vox marks a surprise victory for Mr Sánchez, but leaves Spain in uncharted political territory.