Pedro Sánchez is playing chess at a high level

The winner of the Spanish elections, instead Pedro Sánchez, is considering making a minority government to form.

“Of all the Spanish lijsttrekkers there is only one that chess plays, and that is Pedro Sánchez,” wrote El Pais last week. The leader of the social democratic PSOE has his party on Sunday a resounding …

“Of all the Spanish lijsttrekkers there is only one that chess plays, and that is Pedro Sánchez,” wrote El Pais last week. The leader of the social democratic PSOE has his party on Sunday a resounding victory. With 123 of the 350 seats, the PSOE is the largest party, in the Senate, she has even the majority in the hands. It is clear that Sanchez, when he on June 1, 2018 a vote of no confidence submitted against the incumbent government of Mariano Rajoy (Partido Popular), although some forward thought.

At that time, was the Partido Popular finance gasping its last. The way in which Rajoy that the Catalan issue was addressed, was not immediately a example of solutions-oriented policy. Rajoy also had the impact of the issue of corruption, which the top echelons of the party had contaminated, grossly underestimated.

Early on clouds walking

The relatively new party Ciudadanos walked on clouds. That liberal party was the mouthpiece of the Spaniards, who said that the Catalan separatists and the country verziekten. For each error that Rajoy made, increased Ciudadanos in the polls. The party had not long to think to the motion of censure of the PSOE to support. Leader Albert Rivera acknowledged that there are then new elections would come, in which he all misnoegde PP-votes would be able to secure.

But the PSOE dácht not to at that time elections to write. Sánchez wanted the rest of the legislature to use the party visible again, after seven years on the oppositiebanken had been sitting. He was the most female government of Spain, has entered into talks with the separatists in Catalonia and opened the dark past of the Franco regime. There was a kink in the polls: the PSOE rose, Ciudadanos decreased.

The extreme right was salonfähig

Sánchez had a shaky basis. His minority government had but 85 of the 350 seats in the parliament. Politoloog Juan Rodríguez Teruel says that the joint demonstration of all the right-wing parties, on 10 February 2018 on the Plaza de Colón, against the policies of Sánchez is a decisive factor. Journalists pointed to the fact that the leader of the new radical right-wing party, Vox side-by-side with the PP and Ciudadanos, and so salonfähig had become for the right. Sánchez, counted the heads and was satisfied. He saw not only three right-wing leaders that the media attention had to share it, but he found, according to Rodrígez Teruel – that there were less people than expected show. A few days later it turned out that he was in the parliament no majority is found to have a left-wing budget for 2019 voting. Not only the separatists layers crosswise, also Ciudadanos. Why should the future of the government Sánchez securing?

Too little time

Although Sánchez, in principle, could continue to govern with a copy of the budget of his predecessor, he called on 15 February for early elections. It was the last gamble on his chess board.

Ciudadanos sat in the tang, because they had after the regional elections in Andalusia in december 2018, opted for a minority government with the PP, with gedoogsteun of Vox. The liberal party in the centre came into existence, had turned to the right and threw it. When Sánchez two months later, early elections proclaimed, had Ciudadanos too little time to get back to the center to maneuver, and so Sánchez threaten. Ciudadanos chose the other option: the new leader on the right.

Again minority

It seems that Sánchez this morning to a new game of chess began. According to El Pais , he is considering to restart a minority government on its own two feet. The other left party, Unidas Podemos, has such a heavy blow, that the PSOE is not a majority can help. Reign with the support of the separatists is difficult, because almost half of Spain with him that will never forgive. And Ciudadanos, who now sits on the other side.