Francina Armengol won the crucial vote with 178 votes in the 350-deputy chamber, compared to 139 for the candidate of the main conservative formation, the Popular Party.
It was the first parliamentary vote since the July 23 election, which left no clear path to form a government. The left and right parties have almost the same seats.
It remains to be seen if Sánchez can muster the same support if the king commissions him to form a government. If this is not the case, new elections could be called.
Parliament was also scheduled to vote on the eight members of the congressional table, a body that sets the agenda for parliamentary sessions.
Armengol won with 14 votes from two breakaway parties in the northeastern region of Catalonia, including seven from Junts, a radical Catalan independence party led by fugitive politician Carles Puigdemont, who is based in Brussels after fleeing Spain after its secession attempt in 2017. .
Junts was quick to point out that the vote was only on the presidency of the chamber and did not indicate whether the party would support Sánchez.
In that case, Puigdemont, who is facing criminal charges in Spain, would be in a prime position to influence the course of Spanish politics for the next four years, making it a legislature in constant suspense.
In addition to Junts, Sánchez’s Socialists, the center-left group Sumar and four smaller parties have 171 seats. The PP, which was the most voted in last month’s elections, the far-right group Vox and a smaller party can muster the same 171 seats. An absolute majority requires 176 seats.
The defeat of the PP led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo emphasized the isolation of his party in the chamber. This lack of allies was mainly due to his numerous pacts in local and regional governments with Vox, a formation considered toxic by other groups in parliament but which is the third political force in the country.
But Puigdemont’s views are also highly controversial for many Spaniards.
The former regional president of Catalonia wants the next Spanish government to guarantee that it will help hundreds of separatists who are facing legal problems for their role in the secession attempt.
He also wants Madrid to authorize a referendum on the independence of Catalonia.
Sánchez and his conservative rivals have ruled out that referendum. However, the Socialist leader has pardoned several prominent separatists and amended laws to give separatists some legal relief as part of his strategy to de-escalate tensions in Catalonia.
The next legal hurdle to form a government comes in the coming days, when King Felipe VI begins his consultations with the leaders of the main parties to see who has the best chance of forming a government. If that candidate does not win the support of Parliament, a countdown period begins after which new elections would be called.
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Joseph Wilson and David Brunat contributed to this report from Barcelona.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
