2015–2016 Spanish government formation
Attempts to form a government in Spain followed the inconclusive Spanish general election of 20 December 2015, which failed to deliver an overall majority for any political party. As a result, the previous People's Party (PP) cabinet headed by Mariano Rajoy was forced to remain in a caretaker capacity until the election of a new government.
Mariano Rajoy being congratulated by PSOE spokesperson Antonio Hernando after his successful investiture as prime minister on 29 October 2016. | |
Date | 1st: 21 December 2015 – 26 April 2016 2nd: 27 June – 29 October 2016 |
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Location | Spain |
Cause | Hung parliaments following the 2015 and 2016 general elections. |
Participants | |
Outcome | 1st:
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After a series of inconclusive inter-party negotiations, leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) Pedro Sánchez tried and failed to pass an investiture vote on 2–4 March. Subsequently, a political impasse set in as King Felipe VI could not find a new candidate to nominate with sufficient parliamentary support. As a result, a snap election was held on 26 June. The second election also proved inconclusive, and a failed investiture attempt by Rajoy on 31 August raised the prospect of a third election.
On 1 October, a party rebellion resulted in Sánchez being ousted as leader of the PSOE and the latter voting to allow the formation of a PP minority government. This materialized on 29 October when the PSOE abstained in Rajoy's second investiture bid, thus ending the political deadlock after 313 days without an operational government.