Spanish Plot Twist Makes Catalans Kingmakers

The Sunday vote that left Spain with no clear winner confounded experts who expected a right-wing coalition to emerge. But the stunning plot twist is that Catalonia’s exiled separatist leader has emerged as the potential kingmaker who could determine whether Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez holds on to power.

As expected, Sunday’s vote gave the center-right People’s Party the most seats in Parliament but only by a narrow margin. After support slumped for its mooted coalition partner, the far-right Vox party, it is unlikely to be able to cobble together a majority. That gives Sanchez an opening, but he’ll need the support of regional parties, in Catalonia and the Basque country, which demand greater autonomy from Madrid.