Repeat general election announced for November as cross-party talks fail
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 @ 12:23 PM
SPANIARDS will be called back to the polls for a second general election – the fourth in as many years – on November 10 after PSOE leader Pedro Sánchez failed to drum up support for his presidential investiture, which would have been due on September 23.
King Felipe VI has spent two days talking and listening to 15 party leaders and spokespersons, and concluded that none of them – not even caretaker president Sánchez, who won the most votes in the April 28 elections – has sufficient support from their rivals to be sworn in.
The monarch is usually required to officially invite a candidate to form a government following a general election, and this candidate would attend an investiture debate where a majority of votes from all MPs would be needed in the first round – 176 out of 350 – or a 'simple majority' of more 'yesses' than 'noes' in the second round if the first failed would be needed for the new or repeating president to take up office.
Until four years ago, all this was a mere formality – elections were a straight contest between the two largest parties, the left-wing socialists (PSOE) and right-wing PP, and the chances of an exact tie of 175 seats earned each were fairly remote.
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