SPANISH GENERAL ELECTION - RESULTS

Following very poor local election results, bickering among the ruling Leftist group and it's sympathetic parties, mixed with a background of sliding popularity generally, Spain's Prime Minister - Hugo Sanchez of the ruling socialist group PSOE/PSC coalition, moved for an early General Election, Spain's 6th General Election in a decade (the joys of PR).

The election was held on sunday 23 July, for both the Deputies (the lower Chamber ie our Commons) and the Senate (upper Chamber ie our Lords).  Spain uses a complex PR-based system for both Houses which has basically all but crippled most governments since the days democracy was restored.

The results were as follows:-

SEAT ALLOCATION - HOUSE OF DEPUTIES (Lower Chamber)

SEAT ALLOCATION - HOUSE OF SENATORS (Upper Chamber)

VOTE SHARE & SEAT ALLOCATION

POPULAR VOTE 

Prime Minister Sanchez  (PSOE) performed better than expected but lost his ruling Coalition's majority.  To remain in Office, he will need the support of fringe Leftist parties,seperatists and assorted minority parties.  Although the Right as a whole made gains, they did not make the gains forecast - attributed to the reluctance of PP's leader - Alberto Núñez Feijóo, to take part in a televised Leaders Debate in the final week.  The two main Rightist parties - his PP & Vox, with 141 seats between them in the lower Chamber, do not have an outright majority (although they do in the Upper chamber) and will rely on the support of smaller Right-leaning parties if they are to form a government.  And there remains the on-going problem of migrants from Africa, the Catalonia issue, the Basque region, virtually stagnant GDP and on-going 12% unemployment with neither side having a clear plan about how to deal with any of it at all and in some cases 'prevented' because whatever they do must be compliant with EU membership rules, euro membership rules or satisfy the demands of minority parties in order to maintain their support. All with a background of a very very disguntled and disillusioned electorate generally who are getting poorer and poorer even though public services are being cut to the bone to save money and more and more disillusioned with mainstream parties (hence the growth in Vox), and establishment institutions such as the EU, trades unions, the church and the state apparatus generally.

In all probability, whoever ends up forming a government (and it will probably be the Right eventually - the maths isn't there for the Left unless they come to some sort of arrangement with the seperatists.) it will be highly unstable, faced with worsening uncertainties globally, regionally and internally and they will almost certainly have to call a fresh election before the end of the year.

**UPDATE @ 01 Aug  It now look increasingly likely that Spain will have to have another general election at the end of summer as neither side can form a ruling majority group/coalition and neither side is willing to take Office with a minority government as the economic problems facing Spain require a government that can ram unpopular economic reform through Parliament.  Talks remain on-going but look increasingly futile.