General election results in Spain leave future of next government up in the air

Sunday's general election results in Spain have created uncertainty around the future of the next government - raising the spectre of political deadlock.  

The leader of Spain's Populist Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, claimed victory in the snap vote, but cannot form a majority, even with the support of the far right. 

Negotiations will now begin to try and form a new government and avoid another election. 

Feijóo's chances of forming PP forming a majority with the far-right Vox party were dashed after it achieved a worse result than in 2019.

On Sunday, the conservative leader said he would try to form a government. 

“As the candidate of the party with the most votes, I believe it is my duty” to try to “form a government”, he said at the PP HQ in Madrid. 

Incumbent Pedro Sánchez of the Socialist Worker's Party defied expectations, saying last night the "reactionary bloc has failed".

Supporters chanted "no pasarán" - the slogan of anti-fascist forces during the Spanish civil war meaning they shall not pass.

Sánchez must now hold on. 

Whether Sánchez can find a way to keep his position as the head of Spain will depend on securing the backing of the Catalan pro-independence party, led by Junts de Carles Puigdemont. 

They have previously warned they will not help without compensation. 

Sanchez has been vindicated in his controversial decision to call the snap election during a fierce heatwave, after performing badly in local and regional elections. 

With 94.97% of the votes counted, the conservative Populist Party obtained 136 seats, 47 more than 4 years ago. The far-right Vox party scored 33 seats - 19 less than in 2019 - which adds up to a total of 169 deputies in a coalition.  

This figure does not allow them to govern, not even with