It is a case of 'déjà vu all over again' as Spain’s second general election within six months has brought in nearly the same result as the earlier vote last December.
The conservative People’s Party took the lead, winning 137 seats – 14 more than before. The socialists took 85 seats, followed by Unidos Podemos with 71 seats and centrist Ciudadanos with 32.
The socialists lost five seats, Unidos Podemos gained 2, and Ciudadanos were down 8 seats over the first election.
This was the same order as the first election in December. This time, however, the PP gained 14 more seats although still not enough to form an overall majority. The congress of deputies has 350 seats, requiring 176 for that majority.
PP leader and acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy said he would push for power now that his party has again taken the lead.
"We won and we demand the right to govern," Rajoy told a rally of supporters shouting "yes we can!", the chant used by Podemos.
There had been much speculation that the left coalition Unidos Podemos would make an historic breakthrough by overtaking the socialists and coming in second but this did not prove to be the case.
Previously Podemos had run, for the very first time, on its own but recently entered a coalition with the United Left to see if that would strengthen its position. Polls taken before Sunday’s election indicated that its anti-corruption stance was attracting voters, but this did not materialise in the ballots cast.
Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias expressed disappointment and said: “It’s time to reflect and, of course, it’s time to focus on dialogue between the progressive political forces.”
After the first election, the groups failed to reach fruitful agreement on a coalition to govern the country. This fragmentation led to the fresh election on Sunday.
It remains to be seen if any greater cooperation will arise this time around. The Socialists have already rejected the notion that they would ally with the conservatives.
But Rajoy will need to gain support of other parties to form a coalition or minority government.
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