Spain awoke to a political stalemate on Monday after the right failed to clinch an expected decisive victory and no clear winner emerged in the country's general election.
The result of Sunday's vote left neither the left nor right with an easy path to form a government, casting a cloud of uncertainty over Spain's six-month presidency of the EU.
Defying predictions of a historic far-right return to power, voters handed a beating to the nationalist Vox party which lost about a third of its seats.
It means a right-wing coalition led by the conservative People's Party with Vox's support would have only 169 seats, short of the 176 needed for a majority.
A jubilant Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addressed a crowd of activists chanting “they shall not pass”, the anti-fascist slogan of Spain's 1936 to 1939 civil war.
“The backwards-looking bloc that wanted to roll back all the progress we made over the past four years has failed,” he said.
But Mr Sanchez's Socialist Party, whose campaign focused on the danger of a PP-Vox government, has no clear route to another term – leaving the door open to an early second election.
The Socialists were overtaken as the largest party by the PP, whose leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said it was his duty to form a government.
“Our duty now is to ensure that Spain does not enter a period of uncertainty,” Mr Feijoo said.
Mr Feijoo could seek a minority administration but his willingness to work with Vox leaves him with few other friends in parliament.
If he cannot oust Mr Sanchez, the Socialists – who have 122 seats – could try to stay in power with the help of assorted separatists and smaller parties but may find their demands unattractive.
Hardline separatist party Junts per Catalunya is likely to demand concessions in return for supporting Mr Sanchez. It wants a referendum on Catalan secession and the return from exile of former regional leader Carles Puigdemont, who is still wanted by authorities for his role in a failed breakaway bid in 2017.
Spain held two elections in 2019 and could be forced to do the same in 2023 if no majority emerges.
The surprise result vindicated Mr Sanchez's decision to call an early election after a heavy defeat by voters in regional elections in May.
He campaigned on stopping Vox from obtaining the far right's first slice of power since the end of Spain's 1939 to 1975 dictatorship. The party had promised to repeal a law honouring victims of the Franco era.
A Vox breakthrough would have meant another EU member turning towards the fringe after governments led or backed by the far right took power in Italy, Finland and Sweden and nationalists surged in the polls in Germany.
But Mr Sanchez's campaign appeared to have paid off with turnout reaching almost 70 per cent, some 3.5 percentage points higher than in 2019.
Vox’s leader Santiago Abascal conceded that Mr Sanchez could stay in power.
“Even though he lost the election, Pedro Sanchez could block the swearing in of new prime minister and, what’s worse, Pedro Sanchez could even be sworn in again with the support of the communists, separatist insurrectionists and terrorists,” Mr Abascal said.
Mr Sanchez has ruled with a minority since 2019 and has a reputation as a political survivor. He has led a government with a record number of women in the cabinet and brought in windfall taxes to ease energy costs.
Spain took on the EU's rotating presidency on July 1, taking on the role of brokering agreement between the bloc's 27 countries on issues such as immigration, climate change and the war in Ukraine.
Mr Sanchez has made speeding up the green transition and reform of the energy market a priority of Spain's presidency.
Any change of government could bring a new emphasis to Brussels horse trading. Mr Feijoo, whose lack of English skills raised eyebrows when he referred to Bruce Springsteen as “Bruce Sprinter”, has promised to repeal many of the leftist government's laws.
A former regional leader in Galicia, the mild-mannered Mr Feijoo was billed as having never lost an election in his career.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
4/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
match info
Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
