Spain's King Felipe will commence a two-day series of meetings with the country's major political parties on Monday to discuss the selection of a candidate for the premiership

following an inconclusive election in July, as announced by his office on Friday.

The monarch will initiate discussions with parties having smaller parliamentary representation first. On Tuesday, he will engage with the leaders of the three largest parties: the center-right People's Party (PP), the center-left Socialists led by acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and the far-right Vox.

These consultations occur after Socialist Francina Armengol was elected as the speaker of the lower house on Thursday with backing from Catalan separatist parties, marking a significant victory for Sanchez as he endeavors to secure a new term.

Although the People's Party, led by Alberto Nunez Feijoo, garnered the most seats in the July elections, it fell short of an outright majority. Up until now, it has struggled to form a viable coalition capable of establishing a government, despite receiving support from the third-placed Vox party.

Sanchez's Socialist Party, the second-largest in parliament, will attempt to obtain investiture by partnering with its far-left ally Sumar and smaller regional parties, including Catalonia's separatist groups.

In accordance with Spanish law, when a party fails to secure the required 176 seats for a majority in the 350-member lower house, the king conducts discussions with all parties across the political spectrum and proposes a candidate for the position of prime minister.

There is no fixed timeframe for the candidate's negotiations to forge a government.

If the candidate does not achieve an absolute majority in the parliamentary vote, a second vote requiring only a simple majority is held 48 hours later. If unsuccessful again, the king must select a new candidate.

Should no candidate garner a majority within two months of the initial vote, new elections must be called. Photo by Diego Sinova / Comunidad de Madrid, Wikimedia commons.