Francina Armengol was appointed speaker after winning 178 votes in the 350-seat parliament. The candidate of the conservative People's Party (PP) won just 137 votes, while far-right Vox, which is in coalition with the PP in several Spanish regions, voted for its own candidate, Ignacio Gil instead of the PP's. Her candidacy for the speakership was seen as a nod to Catalan, Basque and Galician parties. CONCESSIONS TO SEPARATISTSERC leader Gabriel Rufian told a news conference that while the party had supported the Socialists' candidate for congressional speaker, that did not imply support for the formation of a Sanchez government. More hardline separatist party Junts also struck a deal in principle to back Armengol, according to state broadcaster TVE.

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Persons: Pedro Sanchez's, Francina Armengol, Ignacio Gil, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Sumar, Esquerra Republicana, Armengol, Gabriel Rufian, Junts, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Inti Landauro, Charlie Devereux, Andrei Khalip, Angus MacSwan, Aislinn Laing, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, PSOE, Spain's Socialists, People's Party, Socialists, Vox, Catalonian, ERC, TVE, Thomson Locations: Madrid, MADRID, Catalan, Spain, Catalonia, Balearic, Basque, Galician, Belgium