Spanish elections: Socialists win third election in four years, while far-right sees major gains

Olivia Tobin29 April 2019

Spain’s governing Socialists have won their third election in four years, while a far-right party has had a historic breakthrough, gaining a large amount of votes.

Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) won the country’s election on Sunday and gained the most votes, but fell short of a majority in the snap election and now must seek backing from smaller parties to maintain power.

Their win comes as far-right party Vox rode an unprecedented surge of support to enter the lower house of parliament for the first time in four decades.

The Socialists, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, won 29 per cent of the vote, capturing 123 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies.

Mr Sanchez speaks to supporters following the result
REUTERS

Vox party made its national breakthrough, though, by capturing 10 per cent of the votes, gaining 24 seats.

Mr Sanchez announced he would soon open talks with other political parties, telling crowds gathered at the gates of his party headquarters in central Madrid that "the future has won and the past has lost".

He hinted at a preference for a left-wing governing alliance but also sent a warning to Catalan separatists, whose support he may need, that any post-electoral pact must respect the country's 1978 constitution, which bans regions from seceding.

Vox's success came at the expense of the once-dominant conservative Popular Party, which fell to 66 seats, losing more than half of its representation since the last election in 2016.

Santiago Abascal, leader of far right party Vox
AP

The conservatives also lost votes to the centre-right Citizens party, which will increase its number of seats from 32 to 57.

Speaking after the party’s gains, Vox leader Santiago Abascal said: “We told you we were going to begin a reconquering of Spain, and that is what we have done.”

Vox, which was formed five years ago, has promised to defend Spain from its "enemies", citing feminists, liberal elites and Muslims among others. Its emergence on the national stage gives Spain five political parties, furthering political fragmentation in a country that was alternately ruled for decades by the Socialists and the Popular Party.

Spanish conservative People's Party (PP) leader candidate Pablo Casado
AFP/Getty Images

To stay in office, the Socialists and Sanchez must form a governing alliance with smaller parties, including the far-left United We Can led by Pablo Iglesias.

Mr Iglesias said after the vote that he "would have liked a better result, but it's been enough to stop the right-wing and build a left-wing coalition government", adding that he had already offered support to Mr Sanchez.

Supporters of Vox Party
AFP/Getty Images

But Mr Sanchez will still need 11 more seats to get the 176-seat majority he needs in the lower house of parliament, meaning he may be forced to make pacts with Catalan and other separatist parties - moves that would anger many Spaniards on the left and the right.

Turnout was nearly 76 per cent for the election, up more than eight points since the previous election in 2016. The vote surge included a huge boost in the north-eastern Catalonia region, which has been embroiled in a political quagmire since its failed secession bid in 2017 put separatist leaders in jail while they are tried.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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