Spain's acting Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, is facing complex talks with other political parties as he seeks their backing for a new mandate to form a government. Sanchez, who won fewer seats than the conservatives in the inconclusive election on July 23, needs the support of potential coalition partners, including the hard-left Sumar and Catalan and Basque nationalist parties. If no candidate secures a majority by November 27, a repeat general election will be called.

Sanchez believes he can gather enough backing for his candidacy, which might include the Catalan separatist parties Junts and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), who are demanding an amnesty in exchange for their votes in parliament. Sanchez defended his 2021 decision to pardon Catalan leaders jailed over a failed independence bid in 2017, but did not explicitly mention an amnesty during a press conference in Madrid. He argued that political conflicts need to be resolved in the political field, and now is the time for politics, generosity, and leadership.

Sanchez's conservative opponent, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, criticized him for contemplating an amnesty, stating that Sanchez was doing the bidding of Junts leader Carles Puigdemont. Sanchez expressed his commitment to negotiations and stated that he would start talks with the main parties, beginning with his Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz. House Speaker Francina Armengol mentioned that Sanchez had yet to share his proposed schedule for the investiture vote.

Spain's King Felipe nominated Sanchez to face a parliamentary vote for a new mandate after his conservative rival failed in his bid to become premier last week. Sanchez's Spanish Socialist Workers Party secured fewer seats than the conservatives in the July 23 election, but he is confident that he can gather enough support for his candidacy. He will need to woo Catalan and Basque parties, some of whom advocate for independence from Madrid.