Spain’s ruling conservative party has walked away with the most seats in the country’s general election but fallen short of winning a clear majority.
Voters came out Sunday to elect representatives to the lower house and senate. Partido Popular (PP), led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, won 123 seats with 28.72% of the vote — far from the 176 needed for the majority. The Socialist Party (PSOE) followed in second place, claiming 90 seats with 22%.
Two new emerging parties, Podemos and Ciudadanos, won seats to challenge the dominant two parties in Spain for the first time in decades. The anti-austerity Podemos led by Pablo Iglesias won 69 seats while pro-business Ciudadanos led by Albert Rivera won 40.
Rajoy’s tough austerity measures have helped the nation recover from economic crisis. The Spanish economy is expected to grow 3.1% this year, about twice the average of the Eurozone. However Spain’s unemployment, hovering at 21.1%, is the second highest in the EU after Greece.
PP has also been damaged by corruption allegations that emerged in October, something Rajoy has staunchly denied.
Voter turnout was 73%, slightly higher than the previous election in 2011.
PP now faces the difficult task of forming a coalition government given that it is unable to achieve a majority with its most obvious partner, the center-right Ciudadanos.
