Meeting of the Spanish Parliament: The Struggle for Government

Three and a half weeks after early elections in Spain, both chambers of Parliament meet in Madrid today for their constituent session. However, forming a new government is likely to be difficult.

Neither the acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez nor the conservative opposition leader Alberto Núñez Figo have yet succeeded in securing a government majority through alliances with smaller parties. A minimum of 176 members of the House of Commons is required in the first round of voting.

Feijoo of the People’s Party PP apparently won the election on July 23 as the strongest party, but fell short of expectations with 137 seats. Its potential coalition partner, the right-wing populist Vox party, also lost 19 seats and has just 33 seats.

Sanchez could succeed in forming a government if he and other regional parties agree to an agreement with the Juntes party of Catalan separatist Carles Puigdemont, who lives in exile in Brussels. However, Jontes calls for an independence referendum, which Sanchez will likely reject.

If neither Sanchez nor Figo can form a government, another election is supposed to be held by the end of the year or early next year.