Spain's conservative leader Feijoo assumes defeat in premiership bid

Spain's conservative opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo told lawmakers he stood to lose a vote later on Friday in his bid to become prime minister, which would clear the way for acting premier Pedro Sanchez to try and clinch a new term in office. "Today, I won't be able to give you a government, but I have given you assurance and hope," Feijoo told the lower house before his second investiture attempt, for which he only needs a simple majority to be elected, after losing a first vote on Wednesday.

Spain's conservative opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo told lawmakers he stood to lose a vote later on Friday in his bid to become prime minister, which would clear the way for acting premier Pedro Sanchez to try and clinch a new term in office.

"Today, I won't be able to give you a government, but I have given you assurance and hope," Feijoo told the lower house before his second investiture attempt, for which he only needs a simple majority to be elected, after losing a first vote on Wednesday. Sanchez, a Socialist who has governed in a coalition with far-left Podemos since 2020, has said he will launch his own investiture bid to form a new progressive government. For that, he will need to woo several Catalan and Basque parties, some of which advocate for their regions' independence from Madrid.