Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez boosted his support during the final days of the election campaign to deny his right-wing opponents a majority in parliament.
While the center-right People’s Party won the most seats, with 136, the right-wing bloc got only 170 seats in total, with 96% of the ballots counted. Sanchez’s Socialists returned 122 deputies and, with a wider range of potential partners, could potentially muster 172 votes.
That result leaves neither one of the main parties able to form an outright majority in the 350-strong chamber and potentially leaves a Catalan separatist group with key role to play.
Sanchez could squeak through in a vote of confidence if Junts per Catalunya chose to abstain but Spain is most likely heading for an extended period of gridlock.
PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo had looked set to oust the 51-year-old Socialist when a polling blackout began on Tuesday, with the final surveys suggesting the right-wing bloc would win as many as 180 seats.
--With assistance from Macarena Muñoz.
Author: Alonso Soto, Clara Hernanz Lizarraga and Laura Millan
