Spanish king meets with parties in last bid to snap deadlock

FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016 file photo, Spain's King Felipe VI walks with Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, left, during the annual Pascua Militar Epiphany ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain. Spain's king is meeting Monday and Tuesday with the country's political parties following four months of political paralysis in a last-ditch effort to install a government and avoid sending voters back to the ballot box. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza, File) FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016 file photo, Spain's King Felipe VI walks with Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, left, during the annual Pascua Militar Epiphany ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain. Spain's king is meeting Monday and Tuesday with the country's political parties following four months of political paralysis in a last-ditch effort to install a government and avoid sending voters back to the ballot box. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza, File)

By Associated Press April 25, 2016 1 min read

MADRID (AP) – Spain’s king is meeting with political party leaders in a final bid to break a four-month deadlock in finding a candidate capable of forming a government and avoiding a new election.

King Felipe VI begins the two days of talks Monday by meeting Pedro Quevedo of the small New Canarias group. He finishes the talks Tuesday with acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Spain’s Dec. 20 election ended the country’s traditional two-party system with strong showings for two upstart parties. But no party won a majority of seats in the 350-seat Parliament and since then none of them have been able to muster enough support to form a government.

If no government is in place by May 2 the king will dissolve Parliament and another election will be held June 26.