Spanish Socialist Workers' Party Fails to Form Coalition... 'Re-vote Possible on the 7th'

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Pedro Sanchez, the acting Prime Minister of Spain from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, submitted a government formation proposal to the parliament on the 5th (local time) but failed to secure a majority of the total members. It is expected that the government formation will succeed smoothly in the second vote scheduled two days later.

Pedro Sanchez, Acting Prime Minister of Spain
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

The Spanish parliament rejected the coalition government proposal led by the Socialist Party on that day. Although the votes in favor (166) outnumbered those against (155), it did not exceed the majority of 175 out of 350 total members.

Spain held general elections in April and November last year but has been unable to form a government for eight months, operating under an interim government.

However, there are expectations that the government will be formed smoothly in the vote scheduled for the 7th. The second vote only requires a simple majority. Foreign media anticipate that Prime Minister Sanchez will secure a promise of abstention from the Catalan left-wing Republican Party (ERC), which holds 13 seats.

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party has been pursuing government formation through a coalition with the left-wing party Podemos. However, even combined, their seats total only 155, falling short of a majority. Therefore, cooperation with regional parties will be crucial for governance even if the government formation succeeds in the future.

Acting Prime Minister Sanchez took office with only 80 seats after former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was ousted due to a corruption scandal.

Meanwhile, in a speech before the vote, Acting Prime Minister Sanchez stated, "The Socialist Party and Podemos will pursue progressive policies," adding, "We will raise taxes on high-income earners and corporations and repeal labor reforms passed during the conservative administration."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.