Advertisement

Spain's PSOE set to win election but without majority

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Spain's PSOE set to win election but without majority
Vote intentions according to the CIS.

Spain's ruling Socialists would win the most seats in this month's election without obtaining a majority -- but could govern without the support of Catalan separatists, a poll showed Tuesday.

Advertisement

The survey by the Centre for Sociological Studies (CIS) also showed a coalition of two conservative groups and a far-right party, which together won a majority of seats in the regional parliament of Andalusia last December, would not repeat the feat at national level on April 28th.

READ ALSO:  ANALYSIS: Why Spain's emptying countryside is a key electoral battleground

The Socialists would win 30.2 percent for 123-138 seats in the 350-seat parliament, below the 176-seat majority but far ahead of its nearest rival, the conservative Popular Party (PP), which would net 66-76 seats with 17.2 percent.

The poll shows the Socialists could team up with far-left coalition Unidos Podemos, set for some 30 seats, and a handful of smaller regional parties to govern without the help of Catalan separatist parties.

 

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the snap polls after Catalan separatists joined forces with the PP and conservative Ciudadanos to reject his minority government's 2019 budget proposal.

The Catalan parties helped bring Sanchez to power last June when he ousted PP prime minister Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence vote but they later withdrew support over Madrid's opposition to an independence referendum for the region.

Ciudadanos would score 13.6 percent for 42-51 seats, making it another potential partner for the Socialists.

But Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera has vowed he would not allow Sanchez to form another government over his willingness to negotiate with Catalan separatist parties.

Far-right party Vox has 11.9 percent support, giving it 29-37 seats as it looks to build on its  December showing in Andalusia, a former Socialist stronghold.

A high number of voters, 41.6 percent, said they are still undecided, according to the poll of 16,000 voters March 1st-18th.

READ MORE: All the words you need to know to understand Spain’s general election

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also