The Grand Coalition is born

Spain’s Socialist party just voted to lift a longstanding veto.

This will prevent conservatives from forming a minority government, and subsequently, this could possibly end a 10-month political impasse.

The Popular party (PP) of the acting prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, won elections last year in  December and again in June earlier this year but without enough seats to rule alone.

The PP now needs the Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) to either support its government or abstain in a parliamentary confidence vote, this could be held as soon as next week.

However, in Catalonia, this could see the party absorbed into Podemos or the new left grouping emerging around the Barcelona mayor, Ada Colau.

Podemos has now withdrawn its support from regional coalitions with the PSOE so it can get itself in a better position with the main party of the left. However, Podemos is not has had its own fall-outs and is currently immersed in a leadership struggle of its own.