Socialist Workers' Party Leading In Spanish Parliamentary Elections With 30.9% - Poll

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) is currently poised to win the country's snap parliamentary elections, scheduled for April 28, but it would need to conclude coalition agreements with pro-Catalan independence parties in order to head the government, a fresh poll showed on Monday

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th March, 2019) The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) is currently poised to win the country's snap parliamentary elections, scheduled for April 28, but it would need to conclude coalition agreements with pro-Catalan independence parties in order to head the government, a fresh poll showed on Monday.

The poll, conducted by the GAD3 center for public opinion studies for the ABC newspaper, found that 30.9 percent of surveyed respondents were ready to vote for PSOE, which would enable the party to add three more seats to the 131 they already have in the 350-seat parliament.

PSOE's ally Podemos could secure 11.3 percent of the vote, which is equivalent to 27 seas in the parliament. However, these two left-wing parties are unlikely to secure the majority that would get PSOE leader and incumbent Prime Mister Pedro Sanchez re-elected. To secure re-election, he would have to conclude coalition agreements with right-wing parties, including pro-Catalan independence parties it was the refusal of the Republican Left of Catalonia and the Catalan European Democratic Party to approve the central government's draft budget that triggered the snap elections in the first place.

According to the poll, the Republican Left of Catalonia are projected to secure 12 places in the parliament, while the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia and the Basque Nationalist Party are set to get six seats each. The leftist Basque nationalist Bildu party may get two seats in the Spanish legislature, while Valencian Coalicio Compromis stands to secure just one, the survey added.

The right-wing bloc was found to be just as unlikely to secure a majority in the parliament. As many as 21.9 percent of voters, an equivalent to 94-99 seats, are ready to support the People's Party, the centrist Citizens party is projected to get 13.1 percent of votes and 37-38 mandates, and the far-right Vox party 11.5 percent and 24-27 seats.

The poll was carried out by telephone from March 1 to March 22. A total of 7,500 people were interviewed. The margin of error is 1.1 percent.