Spain’s Sanchez Pledges to Make Offer to End Political Deadlock

(Bloomberg) -- Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged to make a proposal to Spain’s main political parties within 48 hours after next month’s general elections that would allow for the formation of a government and end a long-standing political stalemate in the country.

Sanchez will offer the rest of the parties an agreement on basic policies with the aim of having a government ready in December that could pass a new budget in the first quarter of 2020, the Socialist party announced on its Twitter account Sunday. Sanchez is aiming to form a government that wouldn’t need the support of parties seeking independence for the northern region of Catalonia, Servimedia reports, citing a document from the Socialists.

Spaniards will vote on Nov. 10 for the fourth time in four years, with polls signaling that no party will win enough seats to form a government on its own. In elections held in April, Sanchez’s Socialists emerged as the biggest party but fell short of an overall majority. After months of negotiations with other parties, he failed to secure enough backing to avoid new elections.

Sanchez plans to offer the rest of the parties an agreement that guarantees that if no candidate obtains an absolute majority, the one with most votes would become prime minister, Servimedia reported.

To contact the reporter on this story: Macarena Munoz in Madrid at mmunoz39@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Beth Mellor at bmellor@bloomberg.net, Andrew Davis, Amanda Jordan

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