An Inconclusive Election Leaves Spain's Government in Limbo

Spain's inconclusive general election means it could be months before a government is appointed and another general election is possible, prolonging political uncertainty and policymaking paralysis. Spain's July 23 general election resulted in a fragmented parliament, where the center-right People's Party (PP) will control 133 of the 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies, followed by acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's center-left Socialist Party (PSOE) with 122 seats, the far-right Vox party with 33 seats and the far-left Sumar coalition with 31 seats. Smaller regional parties (mostly from Catalonia and the Basque Country) will control the remaining 28 seats. These results mean that a potential right-wing coalition between the PP and Vox is 10 seats short of the 176 seats needed to appoint a government, while a potential left-wing coalition between the PSOE and Sumar is 23 seats short of a majority. After the election, both the PP and the...