Spain's Popular Party wins Castilla y Leon election but needs far-right to govern

GENEVA

Spain’s conservative Popular Party (PP) won regional elections in Castilla y Leon on Sunday but will need the support of the far-right Vox party to form a government.

With more than 99% of votes counted, the PP secured 33 seats and 35.5% of the vote, gaining two seats compared with the previous election but falling short of an absolute majority in the regional parliament.

While Vox fell short of polling expectations, winning 18.9% of the vote and increasing its representation from 13 to 14 seats, it remains a key partner for the PP to form a government.

The Socialist Party of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also improved its result, winning 30 seats, two more than previously, and remaining the second-largest political force in the region.

“We will have to engage in dialogue, but we've already said with whom we will not make agreements. Castilla y Leon will be a region free of 'Sanchismo',” said Alfonso Fernandez Manueco, the incumbent PP regional president who won reelection, ruling out any deals with the Socialists, who advocate keeping the far-right out of government.

Smaller regional parties won limited representation. The Union of the Leonese People (UPL) retained three seats, while Soria Ya dropped to one seat and Por Avila kept its single representative.

The outcome marked a major setback for Spain’s far-left parties, which lost all representation in the regional parliament.

Castilla y Leon, Spain's largest region by area with about 2.4 million residents, has been governed by the PP since 1987 but without an absolute majority in recent years.

The result mirrors recent regional elections in Extremadura and Aragon, where the PP also won but needs Vox support to govern. Both regions have yet to form governments.