Final chance for Spain to avoid fresh election

By Alyssa McMurtry

MADRID

King Felipe VI began the final round of talks with Spain’s political leaders on Monday, in a last attempt to create a government and avoid a fresh election.

Spain has been left reeling for more than four months without a permanent government after December’s election produced a fragmented parliament. The Popular Party’s minority has been unable to form a coalition with any of the other major parties.

Monday marks the beginning of the third round of talks between the king and Spain’s political leaders to see if a last-minute coalition can be formed.

He is due to meet the leaders of 12 of the 14 parliamentary parties, starting with the smallest and progressing to acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of the Popular Party on Tuesday evening.

After the meetings, the king will either nominate a party to form a government or, if he sees no chance of forming a government or the final effort fails, a fresh election will be triggered, mostly likely on June 26.

The chances of a coalition appear slim as there has been no major progress since a failed second round of talks in early March, when Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez failed to get the Cuidadanos and Podemos parties to join a “progressive coalition”.

Rajoy has already rejected a request from the king to form a government, saying he would not be able to gather enough support.

“I will tell him the same as always - that I don’t have the votes for the investiture,” he told journalists last week.

If the King nominates a leader who accepts the task of trying to form a government, he will have until Monday to convince other politicians that it is in Spain’s best interests to avoid another election that may prove similarly inconclusive.