By Dave Jamieson
THE first vote to elect a new Spanish prime minister – with the PSOE’s Pedro Sánchez as the candidate – is due to be held this evening following two sessions during which all political parties represented in the lower house of Spain’s parliament were given time to set out positions and aspirations. It is widely anticipated that tonight’s vote by deputies will fail to produce an absolute majority, in which case a second ballot will be held this Friday, March 4, when only a simple majority is required.
On Tuesday afternoon, the deputy hoping to be next to lead Spain outlined his political programme and asked for the support of the lower house. Pedro Sánchez, general secretary of the PSOE party, was asked by King Felipe to attempt to form a government after acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy of the Partido Popular refused, claiming he could not generate enough support following the indecisive general election held on December 20.
