Fresh Spanish elections provide rerun of December stalemate
Acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party assume lead once more but fall well short of majority
- Surge from radical leftists Unidos Podemos doesn't materialise as Socialists hold on for second place
- More uncertainty ensues as negotiations due to begin as to which coalition will rule the country
Updated : 09:30
Spain has been plunged into further political uncertainty as fresh elections on Sunday provided a vastly similar result to the one that provided a stalemate in Decemeber.
The conservative Popular Party, led by acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy, won first place again with 137 seats (an increase of 14) but fell well short of gaining an overall majority once more.
The conservative Popular Party, led by acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy, won first place again
The Socialists held off a widely-expected surge from the radical Unidos Podemos to take second place, depsite losing 5 seats. Centrist outfit Ciudadanos, or citizens, lost ground but still maintained their grip on 4th place.
Much of the Spanish population will be left with a sense of frustration after months of political wranglings failed to produce an agreement between parties to form a coalition during the beginning of 2016.
Much of the Spanish population will be left with a sense of frustration
That same frustration is guaranteed to continue if the country's politicians can't come together to find a solution to the current deadlock.
A minority government may well come to pass, led by either Rajoy's PP, or Pedro Sánchez and the socialists. Sánchez could form a leftist government with Pablo Iglesias' Unidos Podemos, but it remains to be seen whether the ponytailed radical's outfit is willing to commit to a more moderate socialist agenda.
Rajoy celebrated on Sunday night in Madrid, saying that "we have won the elections, we demand the right to govern," as he spoke to hundreds of cheering supporters at a victory rally.