Spain’s election ends in deadlock

FOR THE past week, observers of Spain’s election have focused on the prospect of the hard Right entering government, for the first time since the return of democracy in 1978. That, as it turned out, was not the main story. 

Experts in Spain and elsewhere failed to reckon with Spain’s comeback-artist-in-chief: Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist prime minister. As the last votes were being counted on Sunday night, the Right- and Left-wing blocs were virtually tied—and neither had a clear path to assembling a majority and installing a government. 

The Right-wing bloc, led by the centre-right People’s Party (PP), came first as predicted. The PP took 136 of 350 seats. But polls had predicted it would get close to 150. Added to the 33 seats of the hard-right Vox party, that fell short of the 176 needed for a majority.