Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez today called on opposition leaders to help his Socialists stay in power — as the populist anti-migrant Vox party celebrated big election gains.
After a fourth national ballot in as many years, the governing PSOE gained 120 seats — down three from the last election in April and more than 50 short of a majority.
The far-Right Vox party led by Santiago Abascal rocketed from 24 to 52 seats to become the third-biggest force, with the conservative Popular Party second with 88 seats.
Mr Sánchez’s chances of staying in power hinge on winning over the far-Left United We Can and several regional parties. He called on opponents to be “responsible” by allowing a Socialist-led government to remain in charge.
“We extend this call to all political parties except for those who self-exclude themselves ... and plant seeds of hate in our democracy,” he added — an apparent allusion to far-Right and possibly separatist Catalan parties.
Mr Abascal called his party’s success “the greatest political feat seen in Spain”.
The results were welcomed by Marine Le Pen, who heads France’s National Rally party, Matteo Salvini’s Right-wing League in Italy and the anti-Islam Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders.
