Spanish Prime Minister May Schedule Snap Parliamentary Elections For April 14 - Reports

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is considering the option of holding parliamentary elections on April 14, a year earlier than initially planned, state-owned EFE news agency reported on Monday, citing sources in the government

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2019) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is considering the option of holding parliamentary elections on April 14, a year earlier than initially planned, state-owned EFE news agency reported on Monday, citing sources in the government.

If this date is chosen, the law states that the government will have to dissolve the parliament and announce elections on February 19, 54 days prior to the vote, the media said.

Spain is expected to hold its general election in 2020, but there is a possibility that it will happen earlier.

The socialist government under Sanchez has faced major problems in getting support for the 2019 budget in parliament, as the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) only holds 84 out of 350 seats in the lower chamber. The budget proposal is under threat unless it gains support from smaller parties, including the Catalan nationalists, who have said they would be against it.

On Friday, Madrid admitted that attempts to establish a dialogue with the Catalan authorities and other forces advocating the independence of the autonomous community had failed.