MADRID: Spanish lawmakers on Thursday elected the Socialist party's candidate for parliamentary speaker following a closely-watched vote that augurs well for Pedro Sanchez's efforts to return as prime minister.
Thursday's session was widely seen as a trial run ahead of a crucial investiture vote -- which determines who forms the government -- after an inconclusive July election.
Francina Armengol, 52, was named parliamentary speaker -- the third-highest office in Spain after the king and the prime minister -- with an absolute majority of 178 votes in the 350-seat chamber.
Her election was secured following a last-minute deal with the hardline Catalan separatist party JxCat, which has been cast in the role of kingmaker.
During the July polls, neither the left nor the right won enough seats to constitute a working majority of 176 mandates -- with each side only able to amass the cross-party support of 171 lawmakers.
That has put JxCat in an influential position, with the votes cast by its seven lawmakers on Thursday proving decisive to secure Armengol's election.
And Sanchez is hoping he will be able to do the same in an investiture vote, although experts say those negotiations will be far more complicated.
The vote also highlighted the problems facing Alberto Nunez-Feijoo whose right-wing Popular Party (PP) won the election but with less support than expected, meaning he will need the far-right Vox to form a government.
But rather than throwing their support behind Cuca Gamarra, the PP's candidate in Thursday's vote, Vox's 33 MPs voted for their own candidate, leaving Gamarra floundering.
After choosing a speaker, parliament's first job will be to choose a prime minister, with an investiture vote due later this month or in early September.
Sanchez's choice of Armengol was widely seen as a nod to the separatists: between 2015-2023, she was regional leader of the Balearic Islands, where Catalan is widely spoken.
And on Wednesday he promised to promote the use of Catalan, Basque and Galician within Europe -- a long-running demand of nationalist parties.
"Spain speaks Castilian Spanish but also Catalan, Basque and Galician.. We are going to promote the use (of these languages) within EU institutions in a commitment I will carry out during Spain's presidency of the EU," he said of the role Spain took over on July 1. — AFP
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