 Pedro Sánchez receiving applause from his party and cabinet after his successful investiture as prime minister on 16 November 2023. | |
| Date | 24 July 2023 – 16 November 2023 |
|---|---|
| Location | Spain |
| Cause | Hung parliament following the 2023 general election |
| Participants | |
| Outcome |
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Attempts to form a government in Spain followed the Spanish general election of 23 July 2023, which failed to deliver an overall majority for any political party. As a result, the previous cabinet headed by Pedro Sánchez was forced to remain in a caretaker capacity until the election of a new government.
The election failed to provide a majority for either the left-wing bloc, comprising the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and Sumar, with the support of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), EH Bildu, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), and the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG), or the right-wing bloc, comprising the People's Party (PP), Vox, the Navarrese People's Union (UPN), and Canarian Coalition (CCa). As a result, Together for Catalonia (Junts) was left as the kingmaker in negotiations. The unexpectedly good result for Sánchez's PSOE and the underperformance of the PP-led right-wing bloc triggered speculation over the future of PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
Following weeks of political tensions, which saw Sánchez accepting an amnesty law for Catalan separatist politicians convicted or investigated for events related to the 2017–2018 Spanish constitutional crisis and the 2019–2020 Catalan protests, he was able to secure the support of Sumar, ERC, Junts, EH Bildu, PNV, BNG and CCa to be re-elected as prime minister by an absolute majority on 16 November 2023; the first time since 2011 that a repeat election was not needed, as well as the first time since that date that a candidate was elected in the first ballot of investiture. Sánchez's re-election and amnesty law proposal sparked protests.
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