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Rabat – Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of Spain’s conservative People’s Party (PP), has been officially put forth by King Felipe VI to become the new Spanish Prime Minister. However, the move appears to be fraught with challenges as Feijóo’s party has fallen short of the required majority in the parliament.
Following last month’s general election that resulted in a hung parliament, King Felipe VI adhered to protocol by nominating Feijóo for the premiership on Tuesday night. The PP emerged as the party with the highest number of votes, securing 137 seats in the parliament. When combined with its allies from the far-right Vox party and two smaller parties, the coalition can gather a total of 172 votes. Yet, this falls short of the minimum 176 votes needed for a majority in the parliament.
Despite the apparent numerical disadvantage, Feijóo has frequently displayed his resolute determination to secure his position as the Prime Minister since the election results were announced on July 23. Even in the face of smaller parties that have historically aligned with the conservatives publicly expressing their reluctance to form a coalition with Vox, the PP leader has so far refused to bow down to the constraints of reality.
With Spain functioning as a parliamentary monarchy, the King is tasked with proposing a candidate for the position of Prime Minister to the parliament. In this case, the palace justified King Felipe VI’s proposal for Feijóo based on the People’s Party being the “political group that obtained the most seats on 23 July.”
In the statement justifying the king’s choice, the royal palace also underlined the democratic norm that, in a fair democracy, the candidate with the highest number of votes should be granted the initial opportunity to form a government.
Read also: Spain’s Snap Election: Uncertainty Looms as Parties Compete for Power
On the opposing side of this battle for the Prime Minister post is Pedro Sánchez, the acting PM and leader of the incumbent Socialist Workers’ Party. AMid the uncertainty surrounding his political survival, Sanchez has maintained that his party and its allies can collectively muster the 178 votes that would place him in a more favorable position regarding the formation of a majority government.
The impasse highlights the delicate intricacies of Spain’s political landscape and the challenges that accompany creating a functioning government in a hung parliament scenario. Feijóo’s quest to establish a government hangs in the balance, with the complex negotiation process set to unfold in the coming weeks.
