International

Spain’s Socialist caretaker prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has failed at a second attempt to form a government after he could not reach agreement with his only potential coalition partner, the anti-austerity party Unidas Podemos.

Sánchez only needed a simple majority in parliament to get a deal across the line but after 48 hours of hectic negotiating the Podemos leader, Pablo Iglesias, announced his party would abstain during the second round of voting and the result was 124 in Sánchez’s favour, 155 against and 67 abstentions.

“What’s the use of the left if we lose even when we win?” an exasperated Sánchez asked Iglesias before the vote.

The sticking point has been Podemos’s desire for more ministerial positions than Sánchez was willing to offer, in particular the portfolio of the exchequer.

“I aspire to preside over the Spanish government but not at any price,” Sánchez said. “We can’t put the public exchequer in the hands of someone who has never managed a state budget.”