Spain’s monarch initiates a fresh series of discussions in pursuit of a potential candidate to establish a governing body.

MADRID (AP) — King Felipe VI on Monday began a new round of talks with Spanish political party leaders with a view to choosing the person in the best position to gather enough support in Parliament to form the country’s next government.

It appears likely that the king will ask acting Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to attempt to form a government, as Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative opposition Popular Party, did not receive enough support in parliament last week.

The scheduled meetings occur on Monday and Tuesday.

Sánchez’s party came in second place in the July 23 elections, with the Popular Party taking the lead. The election resulted in a fragmented parliament consisting of 350 lawmakers from 11 different parties, posing a challenge for any party to gain power.

If a government is not established by November 27th, a subsequent national election will take place on January 14th.

Feijóo’s attempt was declined with a vote of 177-172 on Friday. Sánchez, whose party has 122 seats, is optimistic about convincing the legislators who opposed Feijóo to support him and secure a minimum of 176 votes for a majority.

However, in order to achieve this, he must gain the backing of two minor political parties advocating for the independence of Catalonia’s northeastern region. These parties have put forth potentially controversial requests, including a referendum for self-determination in the region and amnesty for numerous individuals involved in the unsuccessful Catalan secession attempt of 2017.

Sánchez, 51, has been Spain’s prime minister for the past five years and is the country’s acting leader until a new government is formed.

His outgoing minority coalition government delivered bold policies in such areas as women’s rights and climate change. He called July’s snap election after his party had a poor showing in local and regional elections.