OPINION Key losses force Sanchez's hand

REGIONAL and municipal elections are always fascinating in Spain because it's not just the Sunday night that's interesting but also the deals needing to be struck between unlikely bedfellows over the following days.

By the way, if you don't think such elections are important, then tell that to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of the PSOE.

As the results came in, he made up his mind on Sunday night to bring forward December's general election to July 23 as a way of getting smaller left-wing parties to get their act together or face a Partido Popular (PP) victory.

The PP won the important benchmark of the Valencian regional government, which they ceded to Ximo Puig's left of centre 'botanic' coalition in 2015.

President-elect Carlos Mazon is a well-known figure in Alicante province especially for running the provincial council, but he has to decide how to govern as he doesn't have an overall majority - meaning some kind of accommodation with the far-right Vox. That's a similar scenario in Valencia City Council, where to the surprise of some pundits, the left-wing coalition was brushed aside in favour of the PP becoming the top party.

That result more than the regional one may have got Pedro Sanchez reaching for a strong brandy on Sunday.

The PP in the Murcia region easily kept power under Fernando Lopez Miras and they strengthened their advantage in many municipalities.

But Spain is very different from the UK, because whatever the political colour of a party, if the locals like their council, they vote it back in, rather than use the election for some kind of protest vote on the national situation..

That meant the PSOE gaining extra seats in some areas or just holding on to a council they were expected to lose. This meant it was far from the total PP landslide that some might have predicted.

As for July 23? Heaven knows!

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Alberto Lejarraga alberto@theolivepress.es

Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

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