REFILE-Spanish government expects PM investiture vote by mid-July

Spain's new parliament will likely vote by mid-July on who will become prime minister and expects talks between party leaders and the Spanish king to begin next week, acting government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said on Friday.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialists won a national election at the end of April but failed to gain a parliamentary majority. "We continue to maintain the date of the first week of July or the second week of July (for this process)," Celaa said after the weekly cabinet meeting.

Sanchez is for now acting prime minister and is expected to stay in the job, but will need to seek partners to be voted in what is a very fragmented parliament. Under the Spanish constitution, Spain's king must formally initiate a round of talks before a candidate can be put forward to form a government. (Reporting By Jesús Aguado Editing by Paul Day)