Spain’s King Felipe VI asked the current Socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, to put together the new government, as announced by the parliamentary speaker on Tuesday.
To become the prime minister again, Sanchez must win a crucial vote in parliament. He’ll rely on a strict Catalan separatist party for support.
This move comes just four days after the right-wing leader, Alberto Nunez-Feijoo, failed in his attempt to become prime minister.
After discussing with Spain’s political parties, the king has decided to propose Pedro Sanchez as the prime minister candidate, announced speaker Francina Armengol.
Sanchez now needs to get backing from at least 176 out of 350 lawmakers in the parliament. This vote has to happen before November 27.
If Sanchez doesn’t succeed, Spain will have to hold new elections, probably around mid-January.
Sanchez stated that he agreed to the king’s proposal and will begin discussions with various parliamentary groups on Wednesday.
“I will have discussions with all the different parliamentary parties except for the far-right Vox, of course,” he mentioned.
Sanchez stated, “I will strive to create a progressive coalition government with the Socialist Party and the radical left party Sumar as soon as possible.
This coalition should have enough support to ensure stability in Spain, allowing us to continue advancing progressive policies and peaceful coexistence.”
In power since 2018, Sanchez has shown himself to be a resilient political figure and is confident that he will regain power with the support of Sumar, as well as regional parties from the Basque and Catalan areas.
However, crucially, he will require the votes of seven JxCat lawmakers. They are demanding amnesty for individuals facing legal consequences from the unsuccessful 2017 Catalan separatist attempt. This is strongly opposed by the right-wing and is also a sensitive issue within Sanchez’s own Socialist party.
SOURCE:FRANCE24