Conservatives in Spain fail to secure expected majority | First Thing
Weeks of negotiations likely after snap election leaves left and right almost neck and neck. Plus, Twitter gets a rebranding
Good morning.
In Spain, the opposition conservative party has won the most number of seats in national elections but looks unlikely to have secured a coalition rightwing majority. The vote had raised fears of the far right entering government for the first time since Spain returned to democracy after the death of Gen Francisco Franco five decades ago.
Why was an early election called? The last time Spain went to the polls - in November 2019 - the cover of the satirical magazine El Jueves showed a manic and sweating Pedro Sanchez hunched over a fruit machine, desperately hoping that his gamble of calling the second general election of the year would pay off. It did, writes Sam Jones. Four years later, however, the stakes were even higher for Spain's socialist prime minister, for his country - and for Europe. Sanchez, a politician known for his willingness to take chances, surprised everyone at the end of May when he reacted to his party's poor showing in regional and local elections by calling a snap general election.
How have people been evacuated? Local police said 16,000 people were evacuated by land and 3,000 by sea from 12 villages and several hotels. Six people were briefly treated at a hospital for respiratory problems. A person who fell and broke a leg during a hotel evacuation, and a pregnant woman, remained in hospital, authorities said.
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