the king instructs outgoing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to try to form a government

The King of Spain, Felipe VI, on Tuesday, October 3, instructed the outgoing Prime Minister, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, to present his candidacy before Parliament to try to be returned to power. “His Majesty the King”who has consulted representatives of political parties since Monday, “communicated to me his decision to propose Pedro Sánchez [au Parlement] as a candidate for the presidency of the government”declared the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Francina Armengol.

In order to obtain the confidence of deputies, the socialist will have to have the crucial support of the Catalan separatists, who demand in exchange a very controversial amnesty measure. The outgoing head of government, who has been in power since 2018, has until November 27 to be returned to power by Parliament. Otherwise, a new vote will automatically be called for mid-January.

His conservative rival Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who came first in the legislative elections on July 23, but without a viable majority, saw his candidacy rejected last week by the deputies.