Suspense In Spain’s Snap Polls As Ruling And Opposition Parties Claim Victory

The leader of Spain’s opposition conservative party Alberto Nunez Feijóo has claimed victory in a snap election, though without the result he needed but suspense roar.

Even with the support of the far right, his Popular Party (PP) has fallen short of a majority in parliament.

The cheers at the rival socialist camp were just as loud as socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez declared that the reactionary bloc has failed.

While both can claim success, Spain is left with an inconclusive result.

But Mr. Sánchez has been vindicated in his controversial decision to call the vote in the searing heat of a Spanish summer, when election-day temperatures reached 40 Celsius in some parts of the country.

Turnout topped 70%, as voters sensed the importance of the election, breaking off from their holidays to vote in swimwear and with beach gear in tow.

Nonetheless, Mr. Feijóo told cheering conservative supporters that it was now his duty to try to form a government.

As the results rolled in on Sunday night, a mood of jubilation outside the PP headquarters turned anxious as the gap between the PP and PSOE remained stubbornly slim.

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Galo Contreras, PP mayor of a town in the northern Burgos province, said he was not surprised the race was so close given missteps by the PP in the last week.

Each seat gained for the PP was loudly celebrated by the crowd of supporters. But one admitted as the night went on: “This isn’t looking good.”

Meanwhile, at the Socialists’ headquarters, some senior officials were smiling. A supporter in the corridor said gleefully: “We were dead but we’re now alive.”

Feijoo could try to persuade smaller parties to back a PP-Vox coalition. But many appear reluctant to support the ascent of a far-right party into power for the first time since the four-decade rule of dictator Francisco Franco, who died in 1975.

Sanchez has more options for negotiations but may still struggle to cobble together a majority, with potential allies looking for concessions in return for their support.

In the present scenario, Sanchez’s PSOE would rely heavily on Catalan separatist parties Junts and ERC or Basque separatists EH Bildu.

Junts’ main candidate recently said the party would seek a new vote on Catalan independence in return for coalition support, while the region’s former leader, Carles Puigdemont, has said he would support neither Sanchez nor Feijoo.

Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, director of the Madrid office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said Spain was now faced with “a catastrophic tie”.