MADRID: Spain’s king on Tuesday tasked Mariano Rajoy with forming a new government, taking the acting conservative prime minister a step closer to power again after a 10-month political deadlock.

“I accepted the task,” Rajoy told reporters, saying he would now submit himself to a parliamentary vote of confidence which he is almost certain to win after the Socialists opted to abstain — giving him enough traction to get through.

This means Spain should finally get a government next week, capping a rollercoaster 10 months that saw the country go through two inconclusive elections which Rajoy’s Popular Party (PP) won both times, but without enough seats to rule alone. Now that the 61-year-old is almost certain to take power again, all eyes are turning to his future government.

With just 137 of the 350 seats in parliament, he will be faced with unprecedented opposition and all other parties have promised to be tough on him.

Rajoy himself acknowledged how hard his new mandate would be compared to when he took power in 2011 with an absolute majority.

“I am aware of the difficulties that a minority government entails,” he said.

In line with post-election protocol, a first confidence vote will be held on Thursday, parliamentary speaker Ana Pastor announced soon after Rajoy’s press conference.

The Socialists, who do not support the acting prime minister but say they want to see an end to Spain’s political blockage, have decided to vote against him in this vote.

But they will then abstain in a second and final vote, expected on Saturday.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2016