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Spain’s major opposition party leading at parliamentary election

However, she is far from most seats in parliament

MADRID, July 24. /TASS/. Spain’s conservative People’s Party, a major opposition force, is leading at Sunday’s early parliamentary election, the Spanish government said after counting 85% of ballot papers.

Thus, People’s Party is winning 135 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies (lower parliamentary house). It is followed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist Workers’ Party, which is winning 123 seats, the far-right Vox party (33 seats), and the left-wing Sumar platform (31 seats).

So, neither of the parties is managing to win an absolute majority of seats to be able to form a government. It means that the election will be followed by talks on forming a coalition.

The election was originally scheduled for the end of the year, but in late May, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the decision to hold an early election after his party’s poor results at the regional and local elections.

Spain’s prime minister is approved by the Congress of Deputies. A party needs to have the majority of seats (176) in the 350-seat parliament to appoint its nominee smoothly. Last time, it happened in 2011.

It is not ruled out that the Socialist Workers’ Party will enter into a coalition with Sumar and other smaller political forces to form a cabinet. The People’s Party, in turn, may form a coalition with Vox.

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