Madrid, 29 May 2023 (dpa/MIA) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has brought forward the parliamentary election, originally expected for the end of the year, to July 23 in a surprise move after the heavy defeat of the left in regional elections.

"I have taken this decision in view of the results of yesterday's election," the Socialist prime minister said in a brief televised statement on Monday.

"As head of government and as leader of the Socialist Party, I take responsibility for the results," Sánchez said. He added that the democratic mandate of his government would honour the will of the people.

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and its more left-wing partners suffered a heavy defeat in Sunday's regional and local elections, which were seen as a litmus test ahead of the general election.

In the nationwide local elections, the conservative People's Party (PP), with 31.5%, clearly relegated the PSOE to second place, which slipped to 28.11%.

The PP also celebrated successes in the regional elections, for example in Madrid or in the Balearic Islands. However, in many places the PP will have to rely on the support of the right-wing populist party Vox.

The announced date means that the fourth-largest economy in the European Union is going into an election while the country holds the rotating EU presidency for six months from July 1.

The PP and Vox, after their landslide victory in the regional elections, expressed confidence that they could also win the general election.

The biggest problem for Sánchez seemed to be that the parties to the left of the PSOE are divided and his previous coalition partner, the left-wing alternative United We Can (Unidas Podemos, UP), lost most of its voters on Sunday.