Spain: Socialists, Podemos Face Major Obstacle to Reach Deal

A meeting Monday between Spain's acting Prime Minister and head of the centrist Socialist Party (PSOE), Pedro Sanchez, and leader of the left-wing party Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, went sour as they continue talks regarding the formation of a "cooperation" government, sources told Spanish newspaper "El Pais."

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The main hindrance comes from how each of them considers the nature of a cooperation government. Podemos' leader, Pablo Iglesias, demands cabinet positions to reflect the weight of his party relative to PSOE inside Congress, 42 to 123, while Sanchez rejects this possibility.

While the PSOE leader, who will be soon seeking to be officially appointed as the Prime minister, once again, wants instead to offer Podemos mid-level government positions but not ministerial portfolios.

Last week both men declared they had agreed on a “government of cooperation” to replace the coalition government initially sought by Podemos which came in fourth at Spain’s third election in four years, just behind PSOE, the conservative People's Party and the center-right party Ciudadanos (Citizens).

However, for Iglesias' cooperation to pursue the same values, his party would have to obtain cabinet positions. Thereby, Podemos would manage a significant role in Spanish political life and be able to accomplish its goals of addressing inequality and unemployment.

If Sanchez were to fail to form a government, Spaniards would be facing a new general election as it had been the case back in 2015.

Sanchez' PSOE won the general election of April 28 with 123 seats out of 350 which was insufficient to secure a majority. To this end, a party would need 176 seats. This resulted in the Socialists subsequently forced to seek additional backing to form a government.

As he could not expect assistance from the center-right Ciudadanos, the situation left him with Podemos which was ready to form a left-wing coalition government under certain conditions.