Press Xpress
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • Geopolitics
  • Politics
  • Election
    • US Election
    • UK Election
    • India Election
  • Diplomacy
  • International
  • STEM
  • More
    • Art & Culture
    • Business
    • CrossBorder
    • Diary
    • Economy
    • Bangladesh
      • Agriculture
    • Interview
    • Security
    • Sports and Entertainment
Press Xpress
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • Geopolitics
  • Politics
  • Election
    • US Election
    • UK Election
    • India Election
  • Diplomacy
  • International
  • STEM
  • More
    • Art & Culture
    • Business
    • CrossBorder
    • Diary
    • Economy
    • Bangladesh
      • Agriculture
    • Interview
    • Security
    • Sports and Entertainment
LOGIN
Saturday, July 26, 2025
Top Posts
Canada Includes Duty-Free access for Bangladesh till 2034
Is the United States Changing its Tune on Bangladesh?
FAIR POLLS, ELECTION COMMISSION’S OPTIMUM ROLE AND EVM USE
NIGHTMARE RETURNS
No to BNP’s Violence: US Press Sec. Vedant Patel
GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY UPDATE: WHERE DOES BANGLADESH STAND?
Boycotting EC’s Dialogue, BNP Proves Incompetence Again
IMPACT OF EXTERNAL DEBT ON BANGLADESH ECONOMY
AWAMI LEAGUE GENERAL SECRETARY: WHO’S NEXT?
ASHRAYAN PROJECT: A ‘SHEIKH HASINA MODEL’ FOR INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT
ROLE OF NGOs: CHARITY OR BUSINESS?
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Press Xpress
Press Xpress
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • Geopolitics
  • Politics
  • Election
    • US Election
    • UK Election
    • India Election
  • Diplomacy
  • International
  • STEM
  • More
    • Art & Culture
    • Business
    • CrossBorder
    • Diary
    • Economy
    • Bangladesh
      • Agriculture
    • Interview
    • Security
    • Sports and Entertainment
SUBSCRIBE NOW LOGIN

© 2022 PressXpress All Right Reserved.
ElectionInternational

Spain’s snap election leaves parties with political gridlock

by Press Xpress July 24, 2023
written by Press Xpress July 24, 2023
Spain’s General election analysis
Share 0FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
601

Sunday’s general election in Spain yielded no evident victory, resulting in political gridlock and uncertainty

After four years of left-wing rule, Spain held a highly unusual election on Sunday in which Spaniards were offered with two starkly contrasting visions at the general election polls. Alberto Nez Feijóo, leader of the conservative opposition party in Spain, has declared victory in Spain’s snap election despite not achieving the desired outcome.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had called the snap election as a response to a disappointing outcome at the May local elections in which his Socialist party came second to its main rival, the conservative Popular Party. The nation of 48 million people has never held general elections so late in the summer, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Although it has been criticized because the election was held at a time when so many Spaniards are on vacation, 2.6 million people opted to vote by post. The total voter turnout was over 70% in the election.

Conservatives miss out on all-out victory

With 33.1% of the vote, the opposition right-wing Popular Party (PP) emerged victorious in Spain’s snap election. However, they fell short of a majority, securing 136 of the 350 seats in the lower chamber. The Socialist Party of Spain (PSOE) won 31.7% of the vote and 122 seats. With neither party attaining the 176 seats required for a majority, the country confronts political uncertainty.

Both Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Conservative Leader Alberto Nez Feijóo declared victory in Spain’s snap elections. While Sánchez declared that the “reactionary bloc” had failed, Feijóo expressed his “duty to try to form a government”, emphasizing that his party had become the one with the most votes.

However, neither party won an absolute majority in the legislative body. With Vox securing 33 seats and PP securing 136, they lack an absolute majority by seven seats, making another election likely by the end of the year. The path to establishing a stable government appears difficult for both parties, and Spain will likely experience a period of unpredictability as political negotiations progress.

A man casts his ballot at a polling station to vote in general elections in Madrid, Spain, Sunday July 23, 2023. Voters in Spain go to the polls Sunday in an election that could make the country the latest European Union member swing to the populist right, a shift that would represent a major upheaval after five years under a left-wing government.

Parties now look to form coalitions amid political gridlock

As the party with the most seats, the PP will have the first chance to form a government, but its alliance with Vox may impede its ability to garner support from other factions. The Socialists, on the other hand, have more options, but they could face challenging demands from Catalan separatist parties, including the possibility of an independence referendum, which could lead to political chaos similar to that which occurred in 2017 during Catalonia’s previous attempt to break away from Spain.

To establish a minority government, Sánchez may need the support of the left-wing separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), as he did in 2019. However, he will likely also need the support of the more conservative Junts party, which has not supported him in the past four years, making the formation of a stable government uncertain.

The minor party Vox is poised to become a kingmaker in Spain following the election results. Pre-election polls had predicted a larger majority for the People’s Party (PP), but it must now negotiate with minor parties in order to reach the 176-seat threshold needed to form a government. Despite forming coalitions with Vox in multiple regions and cities since the last local elections, PP leader Nunez Feijoo has previously stated that a Vox-led government would not be optimal.

In addition, Vox’s proportion of seats in the most recent election decreased from 52 to 33. Vox, which campaigned on a platform of turning back laws on gender violence, LGBTQ rights, abortion, and euthanasia, lost 19 seats compared to four years ago.

A battle of policies and personalities

Election in Spain was held amidst a positive economic backdrop, with the country experiencing rapid economic growth, and inflation dipping to 1.9% from a peak of 11% a year ago

The snap election in Spain was held amidst a positive economic backdrop, with the country experiencing rapid economic growth, and inflation dipping to 1.9% from a peak of 11% a year ago, significantly lower than the 6.1% Eurozone average. The unemployment rate decreased substantially from 26% a decade ago to approximately 13%.

Alberto Feijoo, leader of the mainstream conservative Popular Party, gestures to supporters outside the party headquarters following Spain’s general election, in Madrid, Monday, July 24, 2023. Spain’s conservative Popular Party is set to narrowly win the country’s national election but without the majority needed to topple the coalition government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

The majority of the population supported the policies of the Sánchez administration, and the economic orientation of the country was well received. However, the election had turned into more of a personality contest between Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Núñez Feijóo. Sánchez was criticized for his concessions to Spain’s separatist parties, which included pardoning nine Catalan leaders involved in the region’s failed secessionist bid in 2017 and reforming the sedition laws under which they were charged. This support had been “toxic for Sánchez,” leading to concerns that some of the Socialists’ more moderate supporters would abstain from voting or vote for the PP because they believed the party had moved too far to the left.

In the meantime, Feijóo’s critics argued that he represented Vox’s best route to power, which could result in opposition to the E.U., immigration, LGBTQ, and women’s rights. While Feijóo preferred to govern without Vox, he had not explicitly ruled out the possibility.

The focus of Feijóo’s election campaign was to attack the unreliability of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The opposition parties presented obstacles for Sánchez’s election campaign, particularly the criticism from PP and Vox regarding laws on transgender rights, abortion, and sexual consent.

The election results indicate a potential political gridlock and weeks of uncertainty regarding the formation of a new government.

Is Spain’s hung parliament becoming a tradition?

After a new parliament convenes on August 17, negotiations to establish governments will begin. King Felipe VI then will appoint one of the party leaders to form a new administration by submitting themselves to a parliamentary vote. There is a maximum of three months for legislators to strike an agreement. Otherwise, fresh elections would be called to break the political impasse.

Due to the fragmentation of Spanish politics and the emergence of new parties challenging the dominance of the PP and the PSOE, hung parliaments have become the norm in recent years. In late 2015 and early 2016, the country held two elections within six months, after which there was a 10-month standoff until the Socialists consented to abstain from a vote of confidence to allow the PP to form a minority government. Before the PSOE and the far-left Podemos agreed to establish Spain’s first coalition government in 2019, two additional elections were held in 2019.

People pick their ballots before voting at a polling station for Spain’s general election, in Madrid, Sunday, July 23, 2023. Sunday’s election could make the country the latest European Union member to swing to the populist right, a shift that would represent a major upheaval after five years under a left-wing government.

In conclusion, the snap election in Spain has left the country facing political gridlock and uncertainty as neither PP nor Socialist secured an absolute majority in parliament. Consequently, both parties will need to negotiate and form coalitions with smaller parties after the new parliament convenes, and the country will closely watch how the political landscape evolves in the coming months.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
important-2
Avatar photo
Press Xpress

Expressing news & enlightening thoughts through neutral, clear and concise narration and beyond. All in a single platform.

previous post
Bangladesh-Malaysia worker migration surges ahead
next post
Ministry of Food to receive ‘Bangabandhu Public Administration Medal’ for 2023

You may also like

Germany’s Uncertain Political Future: Shifting Alliances and Rising...

January 29, 2025

Ben Affleck Evacuates $20 Million Mansion Amid Los...

January 10, 2025

Why Is Cambodia Pressing Thailand Over Koh Kood?

January 5, 2025

Born in 2025: How Generation Beta Will Transform...

January 5, 2025

South Korea Approves Arrest Warrant for Impeached President...

January 1, 2025

Global Corporate Borrowing Hits Record $8 Trillion in...

December 31, 2024

Recent Posts

  • NCP’s ‘March to Gopalganj’: State’s  80 Crore Taka Questioned

    July 26, 2025
  • Bangladesh Security Forces Accused of Brutality Amid Student Protests Over Crash Casualties

    July 22, 2025
  • From the Sky Came Fire: Bangladesh Military’s Shameful Role in Milestone School Tragedy

    July 22, 2025
  • Air Force Training Aircraft Jet Crashes into Milestone College Campus in Dhaka, Many Feared Dead

    July 21, 2025
  • GOPALGANJ MASSACRE: A Nation Bleeds While a Regime Consolidates Power

    July 19, 2025

Newsletter

Subscribe PressXpress Newsletter for new posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

Contact

  • Business Centre, Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
  • Email: info@pressxpress.org
    px.pressxpress@gmail.com
  • Support: contact@pressxpress.org

Press Xpress

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Advertise With Us

Privacy

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Register New Account
© 2024 Press Xpress All Right Reserved.
Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Youtube
Press Xpress
  • Home