Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has rejected an offer made by conservative leader Alberto Nunes Feijoo to back a two-year term for his People’s Party, Reuters reported, citing a statement Feijoo made to reporters.
Feihoo’s party won the most seats but failed to secure a majority in national elections last month, and he is trying to win support in the lower house of parliament for a vote on September 27.
In a meeting earlier today, he offered Socialist Sanchez to support him in exchange for policy pacts. “Unfortunately, what I got, as far as I understand, is no,” Feijoo told reporters after the meeting.
Sanchez did not speak to the media, but a spokesman for his Spanish Socialist Workers Party confirmed to reporters that the party would not support Feijoo’s candidacy for prime minister. Earlier this month, Sanchez said he also intended to run for prime minister.
Last week, Spain’s King Felipe handed Feijoo the mandate to form a government. He must secure an absolute majority of at least 176 votes in the 350-member parliament on a first ballot or a simple majority on a second ballot within two days of the first.
The far-right Vox party and two regional parties said they would back Feihoo, giving him 172 votes, but he still needs to convince a number of regional groups to support him or to vote “abstain” in the second vote to be able to formed a government.
On August 17, Sánchez’s Socialists managed to gather 178 votes with the support of leftist and regional parties and their candidate was elected Speaker of Parliament.
