MADRID (Sputnik) – Rajoy’s candidacy was upheld by 170 votes, 68 lawmakers abstained from voting and 111 voted against. The second round of voting required a simple majority to grant Rajoy his second term in office.
On Wednesday, Rajoy lost the first round of parliamentary voting to secure his status after a nearly year-long deadlock.
On August 31 and September 2, Rajoy failed to gain the necessary majority in the parliament at the two rounds of elections as the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) voted against him both times.
On October 23, PSOE said that it would abstain in the upcoming parliamentary vote on the prime minister candidacy so that Rajoy could remain in power.
