Spanish Parliament did not support the appointment of Pedro Sanchez

(Patria) - Members of the Spanish Parliament did not support the appointment of socialist Pedro Sanchez as prime minister in the first round of voting.

In the first round of voting, Sanchez needed an absolute majority, while in the second round, a simple majority would suffice.

The outcome of the second round of voting, which will take place on Thursday, largely depends on whether the Socialists and the far-left party Podemos agree on a coalition.

Sanchez failed to reach an agreement with the leader of the Podemos party, Pablo Iglesias, on Monday because Iglesias was not satisfied with the Socialists' offer regarding the division of positions in the government cabinet, but he commented that he expects negotiations to continue because Podemos wants to be part of the government.

Pedro Sanchez has been heading Spain as acting prime minister since April because he did not win a majority in the general elections. He was appointed prime minister of a minority government in June 2018 when parliament voted no confidence in the conservative government due to a corruption scandal.

If Sanchez does not receive a majority of votes on Thursday, Spanish King Felipe VI will be forced to propose new candidates or call new elections, which can be avoided if Sanchez's Socialists and Podemos enter into a coalition.