2015–2016 Spanish government formation

2015–2016 Spanish government formation
Mariano Rajoy being congratulated by PSOE spokesperson Antonio Hernando after his successful investiture as prime minister on 29 October 2016.
Date1st: 21 December 2015 – 26 April 2016
2nd: 27 June – 29 October 2016
(10 months, 1 week and 1 day)
LocationSpain
CauseHung parliaments following the 2015 and 2016 general elections.
Participants
Outcome1st:
  • Signing of PSOE agreements with C's and CCa.
  • Pedro Sánchez's failed investiture on 4 March.
  • Inconclusiveness of government formation negotiations leading to fresh election.
2nd:
  • Signing of PP agreements with C's and CCa.
  • Mariano Rajoy's failed investiture on 2 September.
  • PSOE crisis leading to Sánchez's ouster and the party voting to allow a PP minority government.
  • Rajoy's successful investiture on 29 October.
  • Second Rajoy government formed.

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 for 314 days until the next government could be sworn in.

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.

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