SPANISH Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a surprise early general election today after his Socialist Party lost seats in local and regional polls.

Prior to yesterday’s elections, Mr Sanchez had insisted that he would ride out his four-year term with left-wing government coalition partner United We Can, waiting until December for the vote.

Mr Sanchez said he had spoken to King Felipe VI and would hold a special Cabinet meeting later yesterday to dissolve parliament. 

The date chosen for the early election comes in the middle of Spain’s summer holiday period, with many people likely to be away from their voting areas.

The right-wing Popular Party (PP) won 31.5 per cent of the vote in regional elections to the Spanish Socialist Workers Party’s (PSOE) 28.2 per cent. 

That was a drop of 1.2 per cent since 2019 for PSOE, but a nine-point rise for PP, which appears to have benefitted from the collapse of the centrist Citizens party.

PP won in seven of the 12 regions contested and dominated in several areas previously won by PSOE, including Valencia, Aragon and La Rioja. 

Mr Sanchez said: “I take full responsibility for the results and I think it is necessary to provide an answer and put our democratic mandate to the people.”

Communist Party of Spain (PCE) leader Enrique Santiago declared it was now time for the left to “get to work to ensure a government that maintains and expands the social gains for working families in our country.”

PCE is in the United We Can coalition. Mr Santiago added: “We are convinced that we will stop the reactionary wave with our enthusiasm, policy proposals and through our mobilisation.”