Spain's Socialists reject Rajoy's attempt at grand coalition
By CIARAN GILES, Associated Press
Jun 27, 2016 7:53 AM CDT
Spain's acting Primer Minister and candidate of Popular Party Mariano Rajoy, center, celebrates with party members the results of their party, during the national elections in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, June 26, 2016. Spain's repeat election Sunday failed to clarify the political future of the European...   (Associated Press)

MADRID (AP) — Spain's center-left Socialist party has rejected acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's proposal to form a "grand coalition" with his conservative Popular Party.

The Popular Party won 137 seats in Sunday's unprecedented repeat vote, which was still short of the majority in the 350-seat Parliament that it enjoyed after the 2011 election.

Rajoy's party also won the December election but no other major party was willing to help him form a government — a scenario that could happen again.

The party's leadership was meeting Monday to review its options. Prior to that, Rajoy, 61, told Cope radio he would again push for a "grand coalition" with the Socialists, who placed second on Sunday, winning 85 seats in their worst-ever result.

But Socialist party spokesman Antonio Hernando said, "We are not going to support Rajoy's investiture nor abstain."

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