Snap elections officially called as Pedro Sánchez dissolves Spanish parliament

Pedro Sánchez has fired the legal starting gun for the snap Spanish elections.

The head of the Madrid government formally approved the process of dissolving parliament and setting out the parameters of the election campaign on Monday morning. The declaration will shortly receive royal assent before being published in the national gazette.

This Tuesday will be the final day of business in the Congress and Senate before the general election, which is confirmed as taking place on April 28, seven weeks from now.

Negotiations

Spanish Socialist Party leader Sánchez made the decision to seek a mandate for his presidency last month after the executive failed to pass its budget proposals, following the breakdown in negotiations between his government and Catalan pro-independence parties.

On making the announcement, Sánchez said that “the future of our country is at stake” and defended his controversial approach to discussions with the Catalan government.

The formal campaign period will begin on April 12 and end at midnight on April 26, one day before the Polling Day, with Easter Week falling right in the middle of the fortnight.

The decree paves the way for a fresh parliament to open between May 20 and 23, provided there are no complications in any coalition discussions between the parties. Those would have to happen during the campaigns for the local and European elections on May 26.