The clock is ticking for the left to form a coalition government

While the regional executive committee of the Partido Popular met in Palma last night to discuss the results of Sunday’s local elections and where the party  goes from here, the three main left wing parties, the PSIB Socialists, Podemos and the econationalist party Més are drawing up their strategies for when they all begin talks about forming a coalition which will control many of the local councils, the island councils and, most importantly, the Balearic government.
The leader of the Socialist Party, Francina Armengol, has made it clear that she does not want the position of president in order to help negotiations move along a bit quicker and smoother.
However, it remains to see how the protest party Podemos and the Majorcan nationalist party Més get along.
Podemos has ten parliamentary seats to fill and the party believes in a “new model of politics”, while Més for Majorca is a more traditional nationalist party and its leader, Biel Barcelo, who has been involved in local politics for a long time, was yesterday being tipped as the new President of the Balearics.
And, despite the Socialist Party being the left wing party which won the most votes, it looks like it is going to be Podemos and Més who end up as the brokers of power.
However, the clock is ticking.
On 13 June local councils will have to be formed across the country so all  the various parties do not have long to form coalitions and decide who is going to fill which position.
Forming the new government is a little bit more complicated.
The Balearic parliament has to sit for the first time before 24 June, but the President will not be decided during the first sitting.
The MPs will be sworn in but they then have a maximum period of 60 days, in particular those who form part of the ruling coalition, to decide who is going to be the new President of the Balearics.
If, and it is  highly unlikely, after those 60 days no agreement has been reached as to who will lead the Balearic government,  then a new round of presidential elections will be called and they would take place towards the end of October.
With regards to the local councils and the island councils, if no agreements or pacts are formed within 45 days, then the party which won the most votes will govern, but, the Socialists, Podemos and Més are expected to have a coalition in position before the various deadlines.