Spain does not appear to be any closer to forming a majority government after the first round of talks held on Wednesday by acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy proved fruitless.
In the second general election within six months, Rajoy’s Popular Party (PP) received 137 seats, an increase of 14 but still well below the 175 needed for an absolute majority.
Spain’s Socialist Party was in second place with 85 seats, but its leader, Pedro Sanchez, continues to reject the idea of any alliance with the PP.
"Right now the Popular Party has no support," he told a news conference after his meeting with Rajoy.
Refusal to cooperate also came from anti-austerity Podemos, which captured 71 seats. It is opposed to the pronounced spending cuts the PP had made.
Ciudadanos was the only party after the first election to indicate it could work with the PP. It saw its election results decline to 32 seats in the second attempt and now says it would abstain from voting in the required vote of confidence in the parliament.
In previous years a number of small regional conservative parties from the Basque and Catalonia regions had supported minority PP governments, but they too are refusing to back Rajoy.
When parliament convenes next week, King Felipe VI will have to select one leader who must try to form a government. That leader will face a parliamentary vote of confidence which must have the support of a majority of parliamentarians.
If that fails, a second vote will be held which has the lower threshold of more votes in favour than against.
Since the inconclusive election in December, Spain has been in the hands of Rajoy’s caretaker government which has limited powers.
