A RIGHT KICKING

THE leader of Vox went on the attack after his far-right party took a hammering in the general election.

Santiago Abascal (left) was furious after losing 19 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies after Sunday’s poll. The horse-riding politician blamed the ‘disengagement’ of right wing voters turned off by Popular Party (PP) leader Alberto Nuñez Feijoo.

He also railed at the media, which he said had ‘demonised’ his party and ‘manipulated’ the vote that saw Vox drop from 52 senators to 33.

Despite most exit polls predicting Vox and the PP would have enough seats (over 176) for an absolute majority, in the end the two groups fell well short.

The pair only gained 169 seats between them meaning they cannot automatically attempt to form a government.

While Vox suffered a near 20% crash in the polls, its biggest drop came in Castilla y Leon where the party lost five of its six deputies.

It came as the ruling PSOE party under Pedro Sanchez actually gained two seats taking its total to 122.

The new left wing Sumar group - expected to side with the PSOE to form a government - got 31 seats.

Neither of the two main parties however, can form a government alone and both will need support of their natural partners, plus some of the regional parties.

BAH HUMBUG!

ANOTHER general election could be called for December.

While the Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez took considerable criticism for the late July poll, he may now hold one at Christmas. Either way, the clock is now ticking in terms of the parliamentary schedules.

Once a speaker of the house has been elected a first likely investiture debate will be held to choose a prime minister in the first week of September.

Any potential leader will have to either win an absolute majority of 176 votes in the 350-seat chamber, or a simple majority in a second round 48 hours later.

Should the situation be one of deadlock, parliament would be dissolved in November, with a 47-day period until fresh elections –taking the date to Christmas.

PP candidate Alberto Nuñez is unlikely to be able to get a majority as most parties in Congress refuse to back a Vox/PP administration. The PSOE meanwhile will need the support of left alliance Sumar as well as the pro-Catalan independence party, Junts pel Si (Together For Yes) to stay in power.