Spain’s conservative leader fails 1st attempt to form government

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - The leader of Spain’s conservative Popular Party Alberto Nunez Feijoo failed his first attempt to form a government on Wednesday.

In his longshot bid, Feijoo needed an absolute majority of Spain’s 350 members of parliament to support his attempt.

But adding together the support of his Popular Party, the far-right Vox, a party from the Canary Islands, and a party from Navarra, he only mustered up 172 votes in his favor.

The larger bloc comprising regional and left-wing parties voted against him.

During the hours of debate prior to the vote, it was evident that Feijoo was going to lose the vote.

As Aitor Esteban of the Basque party PNV pointed out, if Feijoo struck a deal with Basque or Catalan parties, which hold the kingmaker position, the far-right party Vox would not support him. But as long as he had a pact with Vox, the Basque and Catalan parties would stay away.

Feijoo accepted as much, and instead of bargaining with the Basque or Catalan parties, he doubled down on his hardline stance against separatist sentiment.

During the debate on Tuesday, he said if he was elected, he would add “institutional disloyalty” to the criminal code and increase punishments for misuse of funds, a crime that some Catalan politicians currently face.

“The only thing he’s proposing for national problems is putting more fuel on the fire, more criminal code and more courts,” said Esteban.

Spain’s Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is negotiating with the separatist parties, has a better chance of forming a government. But it remains unclear whether his bloc will give in to demands of amnesty for Catalan politicians still facing charges over the 2017 independence push.

Sanchez did not debate Feijoo and has called his investiture attempt “a waste of time.”

Feijoo will face another vote on Friday, where he needs a simple majority to support him. Based on Wednesday’s results and debate, that outcome seems highly unlikely.

“At least none of the members of my group will have to vote against their principles,” said Feijoo, concluding the debate.