Final attempt to save Spain from second election in six months fails as socialist leader tells king he cannot form government

A last-ditch attempt to save Spain from going to the polls for the second time in six months failed after the leader of the Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE), Pedro Sánchez, told the king that he could not muster enough seats, saying, “I cannot and should not submit myself for investiture”.



After a second round of meetings with party leaders failed to produce an agreement, King Felipe VI decided that no political party has enough support to form a government and confirmed that elections would be held on 26 June.

The general election held on 20 December resulted in no one party having a majority. Nor could an alliance of the right between the People’s party (PP) and Ciudadanos, or of the left between the Socialist Workers and Podemos, reach the magic number of 176 seats.



After months of stagnation there was a last-minute flurry of hope after the so-called Prado accord was presented on Tuesday by the progressive green party Compromís. The accord emulates the cross-party coalition that governs the Valencia region.



The group put forward 30 proposals that would have allowed Sánchez to be sworn in as president of a left coalition of independents. The government would then submit to a vote of confidence.



Sánchez’s PSOE agreed to 27 of the 30 proposals, but this was not good enough for Podemos. “We’ve made enough concessions already,” said the leader of Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, adding that PSOE’s counter-offer amounted to a no. “We are going to win this election and we will offer our hand to PSOE and progressive forces.”



Ciudadanos, for its part, said it did not want to join a government based on the radical Compromís proposals, which cover issues from employment law to evictions. Referring to PSOE’s three-page document, the leader of Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera, said: “Three pages on governing Spain for four years between six different parties. It’s not even worth looking at.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest King Felipe VI (left) with the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, before a meeting at La Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. Photograph: Angel Diaz/AFP/Getty Images

Spain has now been without a government for 128 days, with two months still to go to polling day. As Mariano Rajoy’s People’s party won the most seats, the king initially asked him to form a government. Rajoy declined, knowing he lacked the allies to achieve a majority, and yet he did not rule himself out of the race.

On 1 March, Sánchez then made a doomed attempt to be sworn in. He concocted a pact with Ciudadanos that gave them more seats than PP, but still well short of a majority. Podemos was invited to join them, an invitation that was roundly rejected by about 80% of party activists.

In the interim, Rajoy has made little effort to woo possible coalition partners, aside from inviting PSOE to form a “grand coalition” with the PP, the only combination that added up to a majority.



His government, which has appeared helpless in the face of Spain’s feeble economy and chronic unemployment, has been dogged by a series of corruption scandals that have cost the party votes. Rajoy became prime minister in 2011 when the PP won the general election, but shows no signs of stepping aside to make way for a new leader.



Ever since democracy was reinstated in 1978, Spain has been a two-party state with mostly minority PP or PSOE governments propped up by the Basques and Catalans in return for more autonomy. The arrival on the political stage of Podemos and Ciudadanos has changed all that, but so far not for the better.



If the polls are to be believed, the June election will deliver a similar result to December’s. While the catchphrase of the day is “a government of change”, the reality is that, until Spanish politicians learn the art of compromise, Spain may face a long period of stalemate.

