Socialists win Spain vote, far-right Vox surges to third place
Spain's Socialist premier Pedro Sanchez emerged as winner but weakened from Sunday's repeat election that propelled the far-right Vox into third place in a result set to deepen years of political turmoil. The ballot, the fourth in as many years, failed to draw a line under months of parliamentary deadlock following an inconclusive April poll which Sanchez won but left him unable to form a government.
The Socialist leader, who had called the vote to strengthen his hand, ended up losing three seats in a poll that weakened his potential allies and strengthened the right. The campaign has been overshadowed by the Catalan separatist crisis that has played squarely into the hands of the far right which over the past year has made significant inroads into Spain's political arena.
Announced some four hours after polling stations closed, the final results showed the Socialists taking 120 of the parliament's 350 seats (28 percent of the votes) while Vox secured 52 (15 percent) -- more than double its mandates in the outgoing assembly. Vox only made its parliamentary debut in April when it won 24 mandates in the biggest showing by the far-right since Spain returned to democracy after dictator Francisco Franco's death in 1975. In second place was the rightwing Popular Party, which took 88 mandates (nearly 21 percent), up from 66 in the previous poll. - AFP, Madrid
