The Spanish congress did not elect the center-right Partido Popular (PP) candidate Alberto Núñez Feijóo as the next Spanish Prime Minister, after failing to obtain the absolute majority at the congress, said Spanish News Agency EFE on Wednesday.
Núñez Feijóo needed 176 votes to head the Spanish government, but only received 172 votes. The PP leader and candidate received 137 votes from his own party, 33 votes from the far-right Vox party, and one vote each from the small regional parties from Navarre (UPN) and the Canary Islands (Coalición Canaria).
178 votes total were cast against Núñez Feijóo, the majority coming from the main Socialist Party (PSOE) and the left-wing Sumar, with support from nationalist parties from Catalunya, Galicia, and the Basque region.
A new vote will be cast again on Friday, with new rounds of debate where Núñez Feijóo will have a chance to rally more delegates to his side. Núñez Feijóo only needs a simple majority to be elected, with more votes in favor than against. If he again fails to secure enough approval, acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will get a chance to try to form a government. If no new head of government emerges by November 27, parliament will be dissolved, and new elections called for January 14.
While running for election in July, Núñez Feijóo promised that he would develop what he called a “priority” relationship with Morocco: “We are going to try to restore respect between a neighboring and important country. We will try to speak with the rigor that international relations need.”