SPAIN’s caretaker prime minister Pedro Sanchez is in a race against time to persuade Catalan separatists to approve his coalition government.
While the PSOE finished as the biggest party following this month’s general election, it once again failed to win enough seats to rule alone.
A coalition deal quickly signed with left-wing leader of Podemos Pablo Iglesias has helped, but the proposed minority government still needs more support to lead the country.
Sanchez needs to persuade the Catalan Republic Left (ERC) to abstain during the vote, in order to form a government.
The pro-independence party are currently intending to reject the PSOE-Podemos coalition, claiming Sanchez is anti Catalan independence.
The PSOE leader will have his work cut out, having toughened his stance over Catalunya prior to the election, culminating in him saying he supported criminal sentences for holding illegal referendums.
If he fails to pass his coalition, Spain may be forced to hold its third election this year, in which far-right Vox could capitalise on the 52 seats it gained two weeks ago.
Podemos leader Iglesias blamed the PP and centre-right Ciudadanos for the rise of the far-right party this week.
He claimed that Vox did so well ‘because of the way in which the Spanish right approached the Catalan crisis.’
Vox came second in Andalucia and, incredibly, won in various towns, including Benahavis, Estepona and Manilva, as well as Murcia province.