Spanish Socialists See Door Closed on Coalition With Podemos

(Bloomberg) -- Spain’s Socialists see the door on an eventual left-wing coalition as closed, at least for now, forcing the party to seek other ways to form a government and avoid snap elections.

Because the attempt to forge an alliance with anti-austerity party Podemos has failed, acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will have to explore “other possibilities,” the Socialist Party President Cristina Narbona told reporters in Madrid Saturday. Sanchez, whose Socialists party fell short of a parliamentary majority in April elections, is determined that new vote won’t happen, she said.

“There are no holidays this year because it is absolutely urgent that we get over this situation and that there is a government to attend to the social necessities of this country,” Narbona said.

Spain’s parliament voted earlier this week to reject a first attempt by Sanchez to stay on as prime minister after Podemos deputies abstained when talks on the division of ministerial powers broke down. The clock is now ticking toward new elections in November unless Sanchez can go back to parliament and win its support for a new administration.

All political leaders will have to examine the situation facing Spain as new elections loom, Narbona said. One option could be to explore a model in which Podemos would agree to support the government program without actually being part of it, she said.

“We ask they they don’t put barriers to us starting to government,” she said.

The conservative People’s Party and the liberals of Ciudadanos have so far steadfastly refused to contemplate abstaining to let Sanchez govern.

To contact the reporter on this story: Charles Penty in Madrid at cpenty@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Vidya Root at vroot@bloomberg.net, Ian Fisher

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.