Spain's right poised for bitter victory as hung parliament beckons

The results are pointing to a hung parliament although voter surveys earlier showed the PP and Vox likely achieving a majority

Supporters of conservative Partido Popular (People’s Party) gather outside the PP headquarters in Madrid after Spain’s general election on July 23, 2023. Widely expected to win today’s snap election, the right-wing Popular Party was only a handful of votes ahead of the Socialists with two-thirds of the votes counted, leaving Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a chance to cling onto power. | Photo Credit: AFP

No one party or bloc would win an outright majority in Spain's snap general election, according to a late tally with around 95% of votes counted on Sunday, despite the conservative People's Party (PP) being on course to beat the ruling Socialists.

The PP was poised to win 136 parliamentary seats in the 350-seat lower house, 47 more than in the previous election in 2019, the preliminary tally released by the Interior Ministry showed.

Far-right Vox was on 33 seats, still the third-largest force in parliament if 19 below its 2019 result, and their hypothetical tie-up with the PP falling short of an outright majority of 176 seats.

The Socialist Party of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez trailed at 122 seats, and its ally, far-left Sumar, was on 31.

The results are pointing to a hung parliament although voter surveys earlier showed the PP and Vox likely achieving a majority.