Win or lose?

Polls had predicted an election win for the conservative People’s party, in league with far-right Vox. But a hung parliament has left all to play for and deliver ed a signifi cant blow to Europe’s rightwing populists

- Sam Jones MADRID, Lisa O’Carroll BRUSSELS

The Spanish Socialist leader, Pedro Sánchez, ruled out a return to the polls following last Sunday’s inconclusive snap general election , insisting a new government can be formed after his ruling coalition was narrowly beaten by the opposition conservative People’s party (PP).

Numerous opinion polls had suggested the PP and its potential allies in the far-right Vox party would comfortably win enough votes to topple the government of Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) and its partners in the far-left Unidas Podemos alliance.

The conservatives finished first with 136 seats in Spain’s 350-seat congress but found themselves up against a resurgent PSOE, which finished second with 122 seats. The Vox party, heavily touted as a kingmaker, suffered a crushing night with its seat count dropping from 52 to 33.

The hung parliament meant the left and right blocs were this week trying to put together coalition governments while Sánchez remains as acting prime minister.

Between them, the PP and Vox won 169 seats – seven short of the threshold needed for an absolute majority in congress – while the PSOE and its allies in the new, far-left Sumar coalition won 153 seats between them. Although the right bloc has more seats, the left bloc has a greater chance of securing the support of smaller regional parties, many of which will be put off a potential PP government because of the party’s recent coalition deals with Vox following May’s regional and municipal elections.