Spanish regional elections bolster Rajoy’s conservative People’s Party

Spanish regional elections have served to boost acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative People’s Party (PP) while weakening the opposition Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE).

Following Sunday’s vote, the PP took 41 out of 75 seats in the Galicia’s regional parliament with over 95 percent of the ballots counted, giving it an absolute majority. In Basque County, the PP ended up fifth, giving it nine of the assembly’s 75 seats with over 99 percent of the votes counted.

In both regions, the PSOE gained fewer seats than in former elections, losing most of its votes to the anti-austerity party Podemos.

The PSOE’s losses are expected to put further pressure on its leader Pedro Sanchez to let Rajoy form a new government. The PSOE’s refusal to back the PP Party has left the country in a political deadlock for the last seven months.

Both parties gained the largest share of votes during the December and June general elections but failed to achieve a majority, which left the country with a hung parliament.

If the political deadlock continuous until an October 31 deadline, the nation faces an unprecedented third election.