Spain's Political Turmoil: Snap Elections, Local Ballot Losses, and Far-Right Coalitions.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for snap parliamentary elections on July 23 after his ruling Socialists suffered major setbacks in regional and local elections. The conservative Popular Party made huge gains in Sunday’s elections, defeating incumbent Socialists in numerous key regional and city governments. Sanchez became prime minister in 2018 after winning a vote of no confidence in parliament against then-conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Sanchez then won a general election in November 2019, but fell short of a majority and formed a coalition government with the leftist Podemos party, which also suffered setbacks in Sunday’s local elections.