The acting Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, has announced another general election will hold in November, the fourth in four years.

This follows his failed attempts to form a government with enough support from the parliament. The deadline to form a government was set for September 23.

“It has been impossible to complete the mandate given to us by the Spanish people on April 28…The country is destined to repeat elections,” Sánchez said while urging people to ‘express themselves more clearly’ in November to avoid another parliamentary deadlock.

What Happened?

In April, Spain held a general election where Prime Minister Sanchez’s Socialist party won most seats with up to 123 deputies in the 350-seat lower chamber. However, he failed to secure enough majority votes in parliament and failed to strike a coalition deal with other parties, including the centre-right Citizens (Ciudadanos) Party and the far-left Unidas Podemos.

He was given a September 23 deadline to form a government or trigger fresh elections. Sanchez conceded defeat ahead of this deadline since he could not get support from the parties and called for fresh elections

What the Spanish Parliament Looks Like

The Spanish parliament is made up of a lower house, the Congress and the Senate, generally referred to as cortes general (general court). Voting for the general court is done on a basis of direct universal suffrage, a system where no one is obliged to vote, but every adult Spaniard, despite their economic or social background, can enjoy their full political rights to vote.

Additionally, Spaniards in the diaspora are required to apply for voting before being permitted through a system known as the Expat Vote. Congress has more power than the Senate as well as the ability to unseat a prime minister by passing a confidence vote or withdrawing it.

It is now left to see if the vote in November is conclusive for Spain’s leadership and whom the voters may choose.