Spain’s ruling conservatives win election, but hurt by upstart parties’ strength

Spain’s ruling conservative Popular Party won the most votes in a general election Sunday but the center-right party fell short of an absolute majority and will need allies if it is to govern for another four-year term. Days or weeks of negotiations may be needed to determine who will govern Spain, with the new far left Podemos and business-friendly Ciudadanos parties producing shockwaves because of strong support from voters weary of the country’s political status quo.

Spain has changed… Many people have lost their confidence in traditional parties. The two-party system has ended.

Inigo Errejon, who holds the No. 2 position in Podemos

Looking at exit polls analysts said it could be extremely difficult for the Popular Party to form a government because it wouldn’t get a majority of seats in parliament by allying with Ciudadanos, its most natural partner. Podemos and Ciudadanos both gained strength by portraying the Popular Party and the Socialists as out-of-touch behemoths run by politicians who care more about maintaining their own power than citizens’ needs. Sky-high unemployment, inequality, corruption and an ever-rising separatist drive in the northeastern region of Catalonia are just some of the issues at stake in a country deeply scarred by a financial crisis.

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