Negotiating power in Spain: The kingmaker in Waterloo

Spanish politics have taken an unexpected turn, resembling the surrealism of Belgian art, with national government negotiations happening in Waterloo. The country has grown accustomed to inconclusive elections and drawn-out negotiations, akin to a bus without its driver that somehow keeps moving forward.

Pedro Sánchez is Spain’s Prime Minister. That is not only a fact but a relief for him and the Spanish Socialist Party, which he leads. What’s also a fact is that Sánchez finds himself as the first Spanish Prime Minister whose popularity waned after election day, a gap largely attributed to the inclusion of the Catalan pro-independence party, Junts, in the coalition government. To understand the intricacies of the negotiations that led to the governmental agreement, a bit of context is needed.