Barring a last-minute surprise, the leader of Spain’s conservatives will miss on his first shot to become the country’s next prime minister when the parliament votes on his petition to form a government.

Spain’s newly elected Parliament has voted by a majority to elect a Socialist candidate as chamber speaker, breathing some life into acting Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez´s aspirations to form another leftist government.

Spain’s conservative opposition Popular Party (PP) made significant gains in local and regional elections, offering a perilous assessment of public feeling towards the country’s ruling left-wing coalition ahead of general elections in December.

Spain’s parliament has dismissed an attempt by the far-right Vox party to topple the governing leftist coalition by voting overwhelmingly.

Spain’s Constitutional Court has ruled a strict stay-at-home lockdown the Spanish government ordered under a coronavirus state of emergency last year was unconstitutional.

Vox party leader Santiago Abascal walks past Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, left and 2nd Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias during a parliamentary session in Madrid, Spain, Thursday Oct. 22, 2020. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is facing a no-confidence vote in parliament brought by the nation's far-right Vox party. (Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Pool via AP)MADRID – Spanish lawmakers on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected a no-confidence motion called by the far-right Vox party against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his left-wing coalition over their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The motion was rejected by 298 votes and backed only by the 52 lawmakers of Vox, which last year became the third-largest force in the 350-seat parliament. Vox leader Santiago Abascal responded by saying that Casado's position was showing PP's true colors.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez listens to a speech by Vox party leader Santiago Abascal during a parliamentary session in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday Oct. 21, 2020. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces a no confidence vote in Parliament put forth by the far right opposition party VOX. If the no-confidence vote were to succeed, it would replace the current left-wing coalition government with one led by Vox leader Santiago Abascal. The leading opposition party, the conservative Popular Party, however, has already said it won't back Vox. Many observers of Spanish politics consider the no-confidence vote as a way for the upstart Vox to put more pressure on the Popular Party.