Spain's inconclusive vote has left the country's government in political uncertainty as a left-wing coalition celebrated the right-wing party's failure to win a majority in Parliament.
People shared their concerns as no party could secure enough support to form a government, which would most likely result in weeks of horse trading or a new vote later this year.
Spain's Inconclusive Vote
Returns revealed that most votes were divided between the center-right and the center-left. However, neither of the two sides, the governing Socialist Party of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez or his conservative rivals, could win enough ballots to govern alone.
While the latter could come out ahead, the allies they might have partnered with to form a government in the hard-right Vox party saw their support plummet. The situation came as Spanish residents rejected extremist parties in the government, as per the New York Times.
The current situation is something that Spaniards find familiar since the country's two-party system fractured nearly a decade ago. The issue looks likely to leave the nation in political limbo during a crucial time when it holds the rotating presidency of the European Council as it continues to face down Russian aggression in Ukraine.
With 99% of the returns, the conservative Popular Party won 136 seats in Parliament, while the Socialists won 122. However, the former hoped to win an absolute majority and govern even without Vox, which many of the party's officials consider anachronistic, anathema to the country's moderate values, and dangerous.
Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the party leader, said he was very proud of the vote results. Despite his success-touting speech, his tone had a defensive ring as he said that the candidates who won the most votes have always governed.
Despite people at the People's Party headquarters celebrating, opposition party supporters said they were expecting a clear victory. According to CNN, an English professor in Madrid, Mercedes Gonzalez, said that he believed they would get more votes.
A State of Political Uncertainty
A 21-year-old web designer from Madrid, Fernando del Rio, expressed dissatisfaction with the vote results. He said that people spoke against the socialist government, but it did not materialize into votes during the election.
On the other hand, socialist supporters were seen as upbeat outside of the Socialist Party headquarters. A 64-year-old civil servant in pre-retirement, Agustin Saludes, said he was happy with the vote results because they were not expecting to get so much support and were prepared to lose.
In a statement, Feijoo said that it was now his duty to form a government to lead the country into the future. He said that Spaniards know they have gone from being the second force to the party with the most votes.
Sanchez noted that the reactionary bloc of regression, which set out a complete reversal of all the advances that they have achieved over the last four years, has failed. He faces continued attacks from the right due to a badly framed law on sexual consent and other reforms regarding abortion and transgender rights, said BBC.
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