The acting Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchezsaid today that he will begin meetings with other political parties with the aim of reaching an agreement that will not only secure a government under the Socialists but also last a full four-year term.

“I am ready to work to form as quickly as possible a progressive coalition government with enough support to ensure the stability that the country needs,” Sanchez told reporters after King Philip gave him the mandate to seek re-election. parliament.

In order to reach the threshold of votes required to remain in office, Sanchez should try to win the support of Catalan and Basque parties, some of which seek the independence of their region from Madrid.

One of the demands made publicly by the hardline Junts per Catalunya is a general amnesty for Catalan separatists facing justice over the region’s failed bid for independence in 2017. Sanchez’s turn came after Alberto Núñez Feijo of the conservative People’s Party failed last week to secure the majority required to become prime minister.

In parliamentary elections held on July 23 that did not produce a clear winner, Sanchez’s Socialist Party won fewer seats than Feijo’s People’s Party.

If no candidate secures a majority by November 27, new elections will have to be held.