Whether Sánchez will get a majority is anything but certain. He would be dependent on the support of the left-wing Sumar alliance and regional parties, but above all on the Catalan independence supporters. In return for their support, they are demanding, among other things, an amnesty for activists who were sentenced to long prison sentences after the independence referendum in Catalonia in 2017.
If Sánchez does not get a majority in parliament within two months, a new election will have to be held – probably in January.
Feijóo had already failed in his first attempt to be elected head of government on Wednesday. Although the head of the conservative PP party was able to secure the support of the right-wing extremist party Vox and a handful of other MPs from smaller parties, he was several seats short of a majority. On Friday, a simple majority would have been enough for him, but Feijóo only received 172 votes in parliament, and 177 MPs voted against him. One vote was invalid.
The election in July led to an unclear majority in the Spanish parliament. The conservative PP became the strongest force and Feijóo of King Felipe VI. tasked with forming a government. However, the Conservatives did not have their own majority. Feijóo has failed to rally enough supporters behind him in the two months since the general election.
