SPAIN: On Tuesday, King Felipe of Spain put forth Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the leader of the conservative People’s Party (PP), as the nominee for prime minister, as stated by lower house speaker Francina Armengol.
The king, who serves as head of state, made the choice after speaking with representatives of the parties that gained parliamentary seats in an unofficial poll on July 23 to learn who they would support in the investiture vote.
“We will give a voice to the more than 11 million citizens who want change, stability, and moderation with a government that defends the equality of all Spaniards,” Feijoo wrote in a thank-you message to the monarch on the messaging app X.
No individual party or coalition secured a clear majority of seats in the snap general election. Feijoo’s PP emerged with the highest number of seats at 137. Currently, they have gained the backing of an additional 35 deputies, which includes support from the far-right Vox party, resulting in a combined support of 172 seats.
Pedro Sanchez, the acting prime minister, expressed his confidence earlier on Tuesday that his Socialist party would be able to “gather the parliamentary support needed” to establish a government.
Feijoo will require the support of 176 of the lower house’s 350 members to secure the premiership; if not, a simple majority of more yes votes than no votes will suffice in a subsequent vote. The king must choose a replacement if he loses once more.
Last week, Sanchez’s Socialists succeeded in getting their candidate selected as speaker of the lower house as a sign of the left-wing bloc’s power.
Armengol, who governed the Catalan-speaking Balearic Islands from 2015 until June 2023, formed a coalition with the hard-left Podemos and a sister party of Catalonian separatists, Esquerra Republicana (ERC).
Her appointment was viewed as a compliment to the smaller regional parties, whose backing Sanchez would require in a possible run should Feijoo fall short. Together for Catalonia (Junts), another Catalan separatist party, and the ERC are among these organisations.
If no candidate obtains a majority within two months of the initial vote, it becomes necessary to schedule a new election.
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