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July 24, 2023

Right Underperforms Expectations in Spain Election; Separatist Parties Emerge as Kingmakers
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Spain appears headed for contentious political negotiations after snap
elections failed to produce an outright victory for either the left or
right. The conservative Partido Popular won the most parliamentary
seats, though it received fewer votes than expected. Even if it formed
an alliance with the far-right Vox party, the right-wing bloc would
still fall short of a majority. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pedro
Sánchez's Socialist party, which came in second, and the progressive
Sumar party spun Sunday's outcome as a victory. This is Prime Minister
Sánchez speaking from Madrid.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez: "Those who proposed 'machismo,' a
regression on rights and freedoms, have failed today. And the
backward-looking bloc of the People's Party with Vox has been defeated.
There are many more of us who want Spain to continue moving forward than
pursuing the path of regression."

Pro-independence Catalan and Basque parties could now become kingmakers
in the formation of Spain's next government.


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